Nphet says the ‘low point’ of Covid-19 has passed because there were no deaths and 242 cases were confirmed

There have been no new deaths and tonight 242 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Republic.

Of the cases reported today, 63% are under 45 years of age, with a median age of 37 years.

There are 76 cases located in Dublin, 27 in Donegal, 22 in Kilkenny, 16 in Galway, 14 in Louth and the remaining 87 cases are spread over 18 other counties.

As of 2:00 p.m. today, there were 223 hospitalized Covid-19 patients and 28 in intensive care. The 14-day incidence rate is now 80.4 cases of the virus per 100,000 population.

Speaking tonight, Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan said that 78 percent of people currently report staying home rather than going out, in a downward trend in the number.

He said the “index of concern” recorded by public health officials coincided with this trend, with people “less concerned” overall about the virus, a development that predicts its growth rate and the number of close contacts reported.

Dr. Holohan said the country had “passed the low point” in terms of the number of Covid-19 cases recorded, at a level much higher than what officials expected to have seen.

He said that people now have the opportunity to participate in a wider selection of activities and urged the public to “select from that menu” rather than doing everything currently allowed.

Vaccinations

Dr. Holohan said he had attended a meeting of the nation’s vaccine task force this afternoon along with deputy chief medical officer, Dr. Ronan Glynn.

“We had a good, busy and productive meeting,” said Dr. Holohan.

He described plans to distribute a vaccine to the Irish population as “at a very advanced stage” before approval by the Government.

Another nine people have died from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, while 397 people tested positive for the virus, the region’s Health Department said on Monday.

The launch of the Covid-19 vaccines will start from tomorrow in the north, when the United Kingdom embarks on the largest-scale immunization program in its history.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that Ireland “will be ready” to implement Covid-19 vaccines as soon as EU approval for the process is obtained.

However, he insisted that the Irish must comply with protective measures if further closures are to be avoided in the New Year.

It comes as the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) warned that a “significant increase” in people who socialize could see up to 1,200 confirmed cases of the virus per day by the second week of January.

In a letter sent last week, the group warned Health Minister Stephen Donnelly that increased socialization during the festive period could “lead to much higher levels of viral transmission than has been seen to date.” .

The Government has renewed its call for Irish living abroad to avoid returning home for Christmas this year amid the pandemic, as it projects that the number of people traveling home will be significantly less than last year.