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Ireland has entered the new year with a rapidly deteriorating situation in relation to the coronavirus pandemic, even as it awaits the full deployment of a vaccine in 2021.
The Republic entered a total Level 5 lockdown at midnight with the closure of all non-essential retail stores, the reintroduction of a 5km travel limit, restrictions on home visits, and the delayed reopening of schools until midnight. except on January 11.
On Thursday, the National Public Health Emergency Team reported what Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan described as an “alarming escalation.” in the spread of the virus with 1,620 more new cases and 12 more deaths.
91,772 cases of coronavirus have already been reported in the Republic since the start of the pandemic last March, and 2,237 deaths.
“This disease is now widespread in our communities and as a result we are asking everyone to behave as if they are a close contact,” he added.
“To support the testing system through this increase, we are no longer advising close contacts of confirmed cases to get tested. Test and trace is a containment exercise and we are no longer in a containment phase. However, it is imperative that if you are a close contact for a confirmed case, you restrict your movements and contact your GP immediately if you develop symptoms. “
On Wednesday, Nphet wrote to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to express concern that even the new Covid-19 restrictions announced on Wednesday, which will be in effect until the end of January, will not be enough to reduce the spread of the virus.
In the letter Dr Holohan said: “Nphet reiterates his view that the current set of measures will not be sufficient to disrupt transmission patterns to the extent necessary.”
Nphet recommends that Level 5 restrictions be imposed for a period of six weeks. “Nphet cautions that this will require, at a minimum, the implementation and compliance of the full set of Level 5 measures as set out in the Government’s Plan for Living with COVID-19. The Nphet recommends that these measures be implemented as a matter of urgency and remain in effect for a period of six weeks. “
“The level of disease has passed containment and as such we are now in a mitigation phase.”
The letter goes on to say that Nphet “is of the opinion that the virus is circulating in the community at a level that requires strict ‘stay-at-home’ measures (with exemptions provided only for those activities and services that are essential by nature). ) to significantly and comprehensively reduce the opportunities for contact and further transmission of the disease “.
Nphet believes that due to “some element of underreporting as a result of the festive period, and coupled with potential additional risks posed by the UK and South African variants,” “there could be a further acceleration in incidence and severity indicators in the los days to come “.
Professor Philip Nolan, chair of Nphet’s Irish Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group, said Thursday that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in recent days is not reported. for an estimated 4,000 due to delays in registering positive test results in the system during the Christmas period. He said that the epidemiological situation has deteriorated rapidly over the past week and that we are “clearly in the middle of the third wave.”
He said the number of breeders is at least 1.6 to 1.8, and the daily growth rate is estimated at 7 to 10 percent, giving a doubling time of seven to 10 days or less.
“We project a significant additional increase in cases and hospitalizations in the next few days before public health measures take effect and it is likely that we will see more than 700-1000 people in the hospital with Covid-19 by the beginning of the new year.” he said in Nphet’s daily briefing on Thursday.
“While it is difficult to face further restrictions, it is vital that everyone play their part by following public health advice to protect the most vulnerable in the population.”
Close contacts
Dr. Holohan announced that close contacts of a confirmed case will no longer be tested due to increased demand on the testing and tracing service. Close contacts will continue to be identified and asked to restrict their movements for 14 days.
“It’s just about scale and volume. We are now at a point where it is simply not possible for us to identify each contact and test each contact the way we were doing at lower levels of transmission, ”he said.
“It is enough to take the numbers we have, if we were identifying three, four, thousand cases through positive tests per day and each of them is now generating an average of 6.3 contacts. That’s more than 20,000 tests per day that are generated as a result of test contacts. “
Dr. Holohan acknowledged that these changes make the accuracy of the confirmed daily figures “challenging.”
Professor Karina Butler, chair of the National Immunization Advisory Committee, said Thursday that the implementation of the Republic’s immunization program is underway “with our first priority focusing on nursing home residents and first-rate health care personnel. line”.
He said that once additional vaccines have been authorized, it will be possible to increase the vaccine availability capacity across the country.
“The vaccine is a vital tool in our strategy to protect against Covid-19 infection and goes hand in hand with public health measures on hand washing, social distancing and staying home. We need to stand firm now and collectively we can reduce the number of viruses quickly and protect our vital public services. “
Donnelly said Thursday that the HSE had confirmed that “the plan for next week now is to vaccinate 20,000 people.
“This includes nursing homes and health workers in the 7 hospital groups.
This week’s program includes vaccinations throughout the weekend, ”he added on Twitter.
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