The number of people with Covid-19 in hospitals falls below 600

There were 597 Covid-19 patients in Irish hospitals as of last night, including 135 patients in intensive care.

This is the first time in 2021 that the number of people receiving treatment for Covid-19 in the hospital fell below 600.

Ten Covid-19 patients who were being treated in the ICU died in the 24 hours to 8 a.m. yesterday, the highest daily number of deaths of people with the virus in critical care since the pandemic began.

As of yesterday, 348 non-critical care beds were available in Irish hospitals, as well as 36 critical care beds for adults and five for children.

Health officials confirmed yesterday that another 56 people with Covid-19 died in Ireland.

31 of the 56 deaths reported yesterday occurred in February, 13 occurred in January, three in December or earlier, while another nine are under investigation.

The deaths included a 16-year-old boy.

The total number of people with the virus in Ireland who have now died is 4,237.

The National Public Health Emergency Team also said 574 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed, bringing the total number of cases in Ireland to date to 216,870.

To travel

During a Dáil debate on mandatory quarantine legislation yesterday, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that around 1,000 to 3,500 people arrive in Ireland from abroad every day, while 10,500 people arrived at Dublin Airport last week. pass.

Last week, the Cabinet approved plans to introduce mandatory quarantine in hotels for passengers arriving from 20 countries or people arriving without a negative Covid-19 test.

Donnelly said that while the UK has implemented mandatory hotel quarantine, few other European countries have. He said that Ireland’s approach is “fair and proportionate”.

However, the co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall, said that the fact that the role of international travel in spreading the Covid-19 is not addressed is “one of the biggest failures of this government.”