6,521 new cases of Covid-19 and 10 more deaths

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There have been 10 more coronavirus-related deaths and 6,521 new cases of the disease reported to the Health Department.

Backlog of cases due to a delay in reporting positive lab results has been eliminated.

A total of 2,307 people have died from coronavirus in Ireland and the cumulative total number of infections has reached 127,657.

The number of Covid-19 patients in the ICU has reached 96, this is an increase of eight since yesterday. There are 1,043 patients hospitalized with the disease, with an additional 99 hospitalizations in the last 24 hours.

Professor Philip Nolan said that Ireland was facing the “fastest growth rate” of coronavirus since March with “exceptionally high levels of disease”.

Current case counts are “dwarfing” the first peak, the chairman of the Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group of the National Public Health Emergency Team said at a news conference.

He warned that the R (reproduction) rate was now between 2.4 and 3. At no time since the start of the pandemic in March has it been above 1.4 or 1.6.

“That is certainly explained, at least in part, by very high levels of socialization and social contact,” in the last weeks of December, he said.

They are “starting to worry” that the new variant that originated in England is “playing a role” in the high levels of transmission we are seeing now.

However, Professor Nolan said there are “some very early signs” that the recently imposed restrictions by the government are beginning to have an impact.

If anything, this is a sign that we have “a considerable way to go and we have to continue and redouble our efforts” to suppress the transmission of the virus, Nolan said.

The number of close contacts has dropped from 4.8 on average per person to three.

If we are “optimistic”, looking towards the end of January, he said that the number of cases could stabilize between 1,100 and 2,900 cases per day.

The 14-day incidence is now 936.4 per 100,000 nationally. On average, 23,000 tests are performed per day, the highest level to date, with a positivity rate of 21%.

The counties with the highest rates include Monaghan (1,819.6), Louth (1,637.1), and Limerick (1,399.2). The lowest spread of infection is found in Wicklow (471.1.), Tipperary (487) and Leitrim (505.6).

Of the cases reported today, 3,070 are men, 3,432 are women and 62% are under 45 years of age.

There were 2,174 cases in Dublin, 571 in Cork, 382 in Limerick, 342 in Waterford, 315 in Wexford, and the remaining 2,737 cases are spread across all other counties.

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Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn said there were already 41 Covid-related deaths in the month of January. This is a consequence of 163 deaths of this type in December.

Earlier, the Executive Director of Health Services, Paul Reid, revealed that to date 15,314 vaccines have been administered of the 81,900 delivered in the country and vaccines have been administered in the seven groups of hospitals in 35 locations.

Vaccinations are taking place at 25 long-term care facilities this week and will continue through the weekend.

Speaking on RTÉ’s News At One today, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that there has been a slow start across Europe to the vaccination program, but said it will be “better in the medium term as Ireland will have supply reliability by being part from United States”.

Also today, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told Morning Ireland that the government expects to receive 110,000 doses of the Modern Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the first quarter of this year.

Today 17 additional deaths with Covid-19 were reported in Northern Ireland along with another 1,410 new infections.

Northern Ireland’s chief scientific adviser, Professor Ian Young, warned that up to one in 40 people may have Covid-19 in some areas.

Meanwhile, the executive of the Association of Secondary Teachers will meet in an emergency session tonight to discuss the government’s proposals for a partial reopening of schools starting next week.

School principals and unions TUI and Fórsa are calling for a postponement of the plan to allow Leaving Cert students to attend class three days a week so that schools have time to organize the considerable logistics involved.



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