The Department of Health in the Irish Republic has confirmed 18,904 new cases of Covid-19 virus over the past 24 hours.
There remain 1,011 patients in our Republic’s hospitals with the virus, down 44 on the same time yesterday and of these, 92 patients are being treated in our intensive care units, a figure unchanged since yesterday.
The Republic’s Health Service Executive (HSE) portal for reporting positive antigen tests is now expected to go live on tomorrow.
These new confirmed figures come as the rules on close contacts of Covid-19 cases and the requirement to take a PCR test, are being relaxed from midnight tonight. The HSE also state that hospitalisation rates appear to be reducing with the less virulent Omicron variant.
Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, Health Service Executive has stated that people having received their booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine are better protected than those with primary vaccinations. He likened the first two vaccine doses to the first part of a flood wall, giving some protection, while the booster vaccine is a more solid, longer and thicker flood wall.
Dr Henry said that the body’s T-cells linger on and give protection, and are re-activated by the booster dose.
Meanwhile, Director-General of the Health Service Executive Mr Paul Reid has stated that he does not believe that mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers is the best course of action to take; rather he supports the approach of communicating with people to win their hearts and minds, but ultimately any such decision is a matter for our coalition Government to decide.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has confirmed a further 2,980 coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours today, up from the 2,922 cases reported yesterday.
Today, there remained 424 patients with Covid-19 in northern hospitals down from 439 yesterday, with 28 patients with Covid-19 in hospital intensive care units, down 1 on yesterday’s reported number.
Sadly, Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has also reported 14 more Covid-19-related deaths today, bringing their total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 3,031.
Once again, we remind our readers:
It was never more important at this time, that everyone now continue to support our schools, businesses, immediate family
and friends and to keep to the spirit of public health advice.
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