Medical director warns that ‘progress is at risk’ in Covid-19 fight



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The medical director warned that the country’s progress with Covid-19 is at risk, as the Taoiseach has said the government is considering a variation of the Level 3 restrictions for December.

On Saturday, there were 456 new cases of Covid-19 and six more deaths.

All of the deaths reported yesterday occurred in November.

Dr. Tony Holohan has warned that the virus is still active in the community and that we cannot become complacent.

He said analysis of Saturday’s data “shows that the 5-day moving average of case numbers has increased from 354 to 392.”

Dr. Holohan added: “We have seen higher numbers in the last few days than we expected based on the encouraging trends of the last three weeks.

“We are concerned that this progress is at risk.

“We have to remember that the virus is still very active in the community and we cannot lose our guard.

“Nphet will continue to monitor the situation closely for the next few days.”

Dr. Holohan said the nation must “focus on what we can do to stop the spread of this disease; wash our hands regularly, cover our faces, stay away from others, avoid crowds, limit our social network, know the symptoms, isolate ourselves, and contact a GP if we have them.

“Stay home and restrict our movements if you are a close contact for a confirmed case.”

Restrictions

Meanwhile, speaking to the Sunday Independent, the Taoiseach said that if the final stages of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine are successful, it will be given free to everyone in the new year.

Micheál Martin added that the government will consider a variation to the Level 3 restrictions in December.

The current Level 5 restrictions will end on December 1, and the country is expected to move to Level 3.

Mr. Martin said the Level 3 restrictions in December “are not set in stone,” echoing comments Friday about a “modified” Level 3 as the target next month.

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