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Eight other Covid-19-related deaths have been reported according to the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), bringing the number of people statewide who have died from the virus so far to 4,713.
According to the latest figures, 591 new cases of the disease have been reported, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began to 237,187.
The Health Protection Surveillance Center said four of the deaths occurred in March and the rest in February. The average age of those who died was 74 years, while the age range was 51 to 94 years.
Of the cases reported on Friday, 292 correspond to men and 295 to women. The mean age was 31 years and 72% of new cases occurred among those under 45 years of age.
There were 288 new cases in Dublin, 40 in Kildare, 30 in Meath, 28 in Westmeath, 27 in Laois, and the remaining 178 cases were distributed to another 19 counties.
At 8 a.m. on Friday morning, 264 Covid-19 patients were in the hospital, of which 62 were in the ICU. There were 18 new hospitalizations in the previous 24 hours.
Recent data also highlights the number of vaccinated. As of the end of March 30, 840,561 doses of a Covid 19 vaccine had been administered, 603,802 people had received a first dose, and 236,759 people had received their second dose.
Easter messages
Speaking on Friday night, Taoiseach Micheál Martin reiterated his belief that the end of the Covid-19 crisis is in sight and offered what he said was “genuine hope” by outlining a “stable and safe” path for exit the current lock.
In a message delivered on Twitter on Friday night, Mr. Martin acknowledged that this Easter holiday weekend would be different and accepted that people “will not celebrate it in the usual way.”
He added that he recognized “how exhausting the sacrifices have been during this pandemic but I can assure you that his efforts have really worked and thanks to his actions and the deployment of the vaccine, the levels of serious illness and mortality caused by the new variant have significantly decreased ”. ”.
He said that “the way ahead is clear” and pointed to an increase in vaccine supplies and promised that the launch would be accelerated during the months of April, May and June.
“By the end of next week, I expect one million doses of Covid vaccines will have been administered and by the end of May, three million doses,” the Taoiseach said.
Earlier on Friday, the public was urged to stick to Covid-19 restrictions during Easter with “much brighter days ahead” due to vaccination.
The call came from the Deputy Medical Director, Dr. Ronan Glynn, and the Northern Ireland Medical Director, Dr. Michael McBride.
They issued a joint statement in the run-up to the Easter holiday weekend warning that Covid-19 remains a “very dangerous, highly communicable virus that circulates in our communities and continues to spread and cause serious illness and, sadly, death”.
“Most people are making a huge sacrifice and wasting time with their loved ones so that we can stay on track with public health guidance.
“We must ask that, once again, we work together to prevent a new wave of contagion by celebrating this Easter safely. Continue with the public health tips. Do not give this virus the opportunities it seeks to spread. “
The number of patients in hospitals with Covid-19 dropped from 274 to 264, while the number in the ICU dropped by two, from 63 to 61.
It’s the lowest number in the hospital since Christmas Day and 91 percent less than the peak in January.
HSE CEO Paul Reid said it was “continued progress” but warned that hospitalizations were a “too high base” to relax restrictions.
Replacement vaccines
The University of Limerick Hospital Group has confirmed that replacement vaccines were administered to Gardaí.
About 100 Gardaí based in Clare and Limerick received their first Covid-19 vaccinations this week, even though members of the force do not have priority for hits.
These vaccines were administered earlier this week, before the government’s announcement that gardaí and others would not be prioritized by occupation.
The vaccines were administered at the Limerick Vaccination Center, managed by UL Hospitals Group.
He insists that the vaccines were offered to gardaí in accordance with national guidelines.
In response, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said vaccines are an HSE matter.
Antigen test
Kingston Mills, professor of experimental immunology at Trinity College Dublin, has said that rapid antigen testing will add an extra layer of protection in the fight against Covid-19.
While there were valid concerns about the false sense of security sometimes generated by such tests, if the rapid tests were carried out two or three times a week, they could be very effective as they would detect the presence of the virus during the peak of infection. said explained.
The rapid antigen test could be used in schools, universities, workplaces and at sporting and cultural events, he told RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland program.
The system was already being used in meat plants in Ireland and other countries. “It is not being used as widely as it could be in Ireland,” suggested Professor Kingston.
People could test negative on the rapid test but still be incubating the virus, which is why they should be tested two to three times a week, he said.
Mandatory hotel quarantine
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly met with Foreign Minister Simon Coveney on Thursday to discuss a recommendation that 43 countries and states be added to the list of “high risk” areas that require a quarantine period. upon arrival in Ireland to prevent the possible spread of Variants of Covid-19.
Sources said There was a significant setback from Mr. Coveney, who raised concerns about the hotel system’s capacity for passenger influx, as well as legal concerns about adding other EU countries to the list. A source described the meeting as “icy.”
Mr. Coveney said that the State should not go ahead with including countries with large numbers of Irish citizens living in them.
While it was agreed that 26 non-EU countries and states would be added to the high-risk program, sources said Donnelly still supported adding countries of concern regardless of location and would push for this to happen in the coming days.
People arriving from all 26 countries, including Israel, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria and Serbia, will have to reserve a space in the hotel’s quarantine system if they intend to arrive after 4 a.m. on April 6. .
Professor Mills said that a period of isolation for newcomers was a good thing and that under the old system people weren’t doing that and it had been difficult to enforce.
The biggest threat to the country are the South African and Brazilian variants, so it is important to keep them out.
Putting France and Germany on the list of countries for which arrivals would have to go to mandatory hotel quarantine is “sensible,” he said, given the significant levels of the South African variant in those countries.
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