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TOP infectious disease expert Sam McConkey has been forced to self-isolate after coming into contact with a relative showing symptoms of Covid.
The professor, who is also the Head of RSCI’s Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine, called up Brendan O’Connor’s RTE radio show instead of traveling to the studio.
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The disease specialist said he was feeling “fine” and said the family member would be tested today for the killer virus.
She said: “One of my family contacts over Christmas is going to have a test this morning, so I feel fine, but he had some symptoms, so I didn’t want to have a test, so I didn’t want to spread it out.
“There is a time not to spread this and this is the time.”
It comes as an inter-county travel ban and new home visiting restrictions are now in effect across the country.
The new guidelines went into effect at midnight when HSE CEO Paul Reid warned that testing and tracking volumes were now at “alarming levels.”
Posting on Twitter, Reid said: “Testing and tracking volumes now at alarming levels.
“Our highest daily tests are now 23,000. Community positivity reaches 10%. Close contacts with an average of 5 people.
“Call tracing went from less than 10K to more than 3OK per week. Review New Year’s plans to stay safe.”
He later told RTÉ’s This Week program that the vaccine, which arrived yesterday, will be administered from December 29.
When asked why it was not being given to vulnerable groups immediately, as has been the case in other European countries, Mr Reid said: “We want to get it right. The intention is to start early next week, the December 29”.
NEW RECORD
Ireland set a new daily record for coronavirus cases yesterday with 1,296 confirmed and 6 other deaths. The record was set when the first batch of 10,000 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine arrived in the country.
Under the new rules, which are in effect through at least January 12, travel outside of your county is only allowed for travel or work, education, or other essential purposes.
People who spent Christmas visiting friends or family can also return to their own home, even if it means crossing county lines.
Visits to the interior have been reduced from two other households to just one as of December 31, but as of January 1, no inter-household visits are allowed. There are exceptions for people in support bubbles that allow them to provide care to children, vulnerable people or the elderly.
The other restrictions mean that anyone who has stayed at a hotel over Christmas must leave today, while hotels can remain open for essential purposes.
Weddings and funerals are also affected: up to 25 guests are allowed at a wedding until January 2 and then reduced to six guests starting January 3, while funerals can only have 10 mourners.
Churches and other places of worship may remain open for private prayer, but religious services have moved online.
HOLOHAN ‘CONCERN’
The St. Stephen’s Day case record surpassed the previous record of 1,283 daily cases that was announced on October 18.
There have now been a total of 2,200 Covid-19-related deaths and 85,394 confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
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Dr. Tony Holohan, medical director, said the increase in cases is “very concerning.”
He said: “For the second day in a row we reported more than a thousand confirmed cases of Covid-19.
“In a few weeks of relaxation measures in early December, we have now returned to very high levels of Covid-19 circulating in the community that we have not seen since the peak of Wave Two of this disease. This is very worrying “.
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