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The Health Department has confirmed one more Covid-19-related death and 686 additional new cases of the disease.
The total number of deaths in Ireland since the start of the pandemic rises to 4,137, with an overall total of 215,743 confirmed cases.
Of the current cases, 66% are under 45 years of age, with a mean age of 34.
Geographically, 278 new cases were confirmed in Dublin, 49 in Limerick, 37 in Kildare, 32 in Louth, 31 in Donegal, and the remaining 259 cases are spread across all remaining counties.
Until this morning there were 726 patients with the virus in the hospital, of which 156 are in ICU. There were 33 people hospitalized with the virus during the last day.
The 14-day incidence rate of the virus nationwide is now 240 per 100,000 people.
Counties with the highest incidence of the disease include Offaly, Dublin, Galway, and Monaghan, while counties with the lowest incidence include Roscommon, Kilkenny, Cork, and Kerry.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn has said that high levels of compliance among the public are having a positive effect on the number of people hospitalized.
“Last week there were 269 cases in healthcare workers and four outbreaks in our hospitals. These represent a very significant reduction compared to the 839 cases and 15 outbreaks in the week to February 7,” he said.
He added: “Over time, vaccination will be our most powerful tool against Covid-19 and those most at risk in our families and communities will be vaccinated in the coming weeks.
“For now, each of us has a range of proven and reliable tools at our disposal: By keeping our distance, washing our hands, wearing face masks, and staying home, we will continue to reduce the transmission of this disease.
“Our collective efforts bring us closer to the continued reopening of our schools and the resumption of non-Covid health care services.”
As of last Friday, 340,704 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine had been administered in Ireland, of which 126,320 were second doses.
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It comes as the Special Covid-19 Response Committee meets tonight as it continues to update the Government’s plan on Living with Covid, ahead of its publication this week.
A recommendation is expected to be agreed later around the gradual reopening of schools, which will then go to Cabinet for a final decision tomorrow.
It is a plan that will likely establish the stages in which things will happen, but due to the volatility of the virus it will not contain many exact dates.
Meanwhile, the deaths of four people with Covid-19 were recorded today in Northern Ireland, bringing the official death toll there to 2,036. 187 new test cases were also recorded in 1,077 people.
Figures in the north show there are 386 confirmed coronavirus patients in the hospital, with 51 in the ICU, 41 of whom are on ventilators.
The average infection rate of seven days per 100,000 in the north is 110.5. The area with the highest rate remains Mid Ulster with 180.3, while the lowest continues to be Fermanagh & Omagh with 49.6.
The BreastCheck exam will resume starting this week
The HSE has said that routine breast exams performed by BreastCheck will resume across the country this week after being “paused” due to the pandemic.
In a statement tonight, the HSE said that due to declining levels of the virus in the community, BreastCheck is now beginning “the safe reintroduction of routine screening tests.”
It has been operating on reduced service since the beginning of January.
The HSE has said invitations are being sent to eligible women for screening appointments dated March 8, 2021.
She has also said that a series of measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of women and staff.
These include the completion of the vaccination program for radiographers and BreastCheck staff.
Mobile vans and static units have been upgraded to meet infection control and physical distance requirements.
Hospital waiting lists will increase – IHCA
Professor Robert Landers, Vice President of the Irish Association of Hospital Consultants, has said that there are more than 860,000 people on hospital waiting lists and this will soon increase to one million.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Six One News, he said that this is an incredible number in the context of the country’s population.
The usual list of specialties is affected, including orthopedics, ear, nose and throat and mental health, but virtually all subspecialties have been affected in Ireland, added Professor Landers.
He also said there are people on waiting lists for hip replacements, cataracts and all other types of surgery and the concern is that these people’s conditions are getting worse.
However, the real concern is that people with very serious underlying conditions, which are not yet present, may have serious hidden problems that are not being detected, he added.
Professor Landers said that these waiting lists did not accumulate overnight, but rather they have been accumulating for many years, especially since 2012.
He said the underlying problems are capacity and a lack of consultants. He said there are 750 vacant consultant positions that shouldn’t be, and there aren’t enough beds to care for patients. All of this has been compounded in the last 12 months by the pandemic, he added.
The professor said that the vacant consultant positions are largely due to the government’s policy of introducing a pay cut for newly appointed consultants and until this is fixed it will not be possible to hire consultants.
He commented that consultants have been voting with their feet and that some of the best-trained people in the world are moving abroad and staying abroad, and would not return home to work in Ireland under these conditions.
He said the government needs to fix this first, and then it could start hiring consultants along with teams to work with them. Capacity must be provided and consultants must provide the equipment they need to deliver care, he added.
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