The Department of Health here in the Republic of Ireland has confirmed 1,355 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours.
There are 286 people in hospital, up 14 on yesterday, with 59 of these are in intensive care units, down 4 on yesterday’s reported figures.
School managers, primary teachers and SNA trade unions are meeting Department of Education officials to discuss the relaxing of close contact rules, in primary schools and early learning centres.
The meeting comes as schools and centres have received guidance telling them that if they become aware of a case of Covid-19 in a child or in an adult who has recently attended their facility, they no longer have to contact the HSE.
The positivity rate among primary school age children had seen a massive 14.5% rise during the last week of August, however by last week this rate has dropped to 5.2%.
In Northern Ireland their Department of Health has reported 1,165 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.
There were 383 Covid-19 patients in their hospitals, 31 of these were in intensive care units. Sadly, also a further eight deaths have been reported there, during this same time frame.
Meanwhile, the EU’s drug watchdog, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), have stated that it expects to decide in early October whether to approve boosters of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for all people aged over 16. Protection against the disease is shown to decrease in the months following the first jabs, the head of vaccine strategy Mr Marco Cavaleri has informed a news conference.
Vaccination continues to offer the best protection against the most severe effects of COVID-19, including hospitalisation and death.
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