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There are some “early signs of hope” in the number of Covid-19 cases being reported daily, as well as the positivity rate for Covid tests, the medical director said.
However, Dr. Tony Holohan has warned that “we have a long, very long way to go” and we are likely to see a worsening of “hospitalizations, ICU admissions and mortality” in the coming weeks.
Dr. Holohan made the statement when the Department of Health reported 63 more Covid-related deaths.
Five of the deaths occurred in November and one in December, and the rest this month.
The Department has also been notified of 3,569 new cases of Covid-19.
There have now been a total of 2,460 Covid-related deaths in Ireland and 159,144 confirmed cases.
133 people with the virus have been hospitalized in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of hospitalized patients to 1,770. The number of people in intensive care is 176.
More than 1,000 of the news cases reported today are in Dublin, with 1,119 confirmed cases there.
There are 416 in Cork, 200 in Galway, 182 in Louth, 169 in Waterford, and the remaining 1,483 cases are spread across all other counties.
The average age of those who tested positive is 42 years old and 54% are under 45 years old.
The national incidence rate of 14 days per 100,000 inhabitants is now 1,448.8.
Monaghan (2,738.4), Louth (2,322) and Limerick (2,068.3) counties have the highest rates in the country.
Dr. Holohan said “we can have some hope” in the number of cases and the positivity rate, but cautioned that “we have a long, very long way to go.”
He reiterated his warning from yesterday that “we can expect to see an increase in hospitalizations, ICU admissions and Covid-19 related mortality day by day” in the coming weeks.
The CMO also reiterated his call for people to support each other by staying separate.
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“To ensure that our hospitals and loved ones remain protected and alive to receive the vaccine, please continue to follow public health advice and stay home,” he said.
Meanwhile, health workers who are considered close contacts of a positive Covid-19 case but who received a negative test have been called to work in the health service.
Health Service executive director of operations Anne O’Connor said these close contacts were being monitored at work by occupational health experts and had their temperatures checked twice a day.
He said the decision was made due to a shortage of healthcare workers.
The Irish Organization of Nurses and Midwives has called for the full capacity of private hospitals to be fully nationalized in the public health system, to provide additional beds and staff in the coming weeks.
The 40,000-member union described the health service as under “unprecedented” pressure, noting that the government’s current plans foresee the use of only a third of the capacity of private hospitals.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told Dáil that the government plans to vaccinate 700,000 people by the end of March.
This would vaccinate the top three groups on the priority list: those receiving long-term residential care (staff and residents), frontline healthcare workers, and those over 70.
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