Irish National Public Service Media
Meáin Náisiúnta Seirbhíse Poiblí na hÉireann
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, stated that no more or broader public health measures have been considered at this time, and the Covid-19 circuit breaker has not been discussed.
Dr. Holohan said that Amárach's research data showed that a quarter of those who went to a hotel last weekend were not required to provide a Covid certificate.
He added that they would encourage people to do the right thing and hope to implement basic measures in the various environments where they spend their time.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health reported 3,174 new Covid-19 cases.
56 people have died since last Wednesday, bringing the total number of Covid-19-related deaths to 5,492.
As of 8 o'clock this morning, 460 Covid-19 patients have been hospitalized, 86 of whom are receiving treatment in the ICU.
Dr. Holohan said that since the technical problem has been resolved, the number of new cases today is an estimate.
At the same time, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that the increase in the number of Covid cases was “very, very” serious.
In a speech tonight in the Senate, he criticized Sinn Fein’s decision to vote against the extension of the state of emergency law until February 9.
This includes regulations on wearing masks, hospitality measures, and fixed penalties.
He said that the R value is now higher than 1, and even a reduction in "discretionary social contact" in a short period of time will reduce this number.
Tonight, Congress passed a motion to extend emergency health measures (masks and vaccine certificates) until February 9, 2022. 82 TDs voted in favor and 44 opposed.
At today's NPHET briefing, Dr. Holohan also stated that small changes in socialization may have a significant impact on the number of infections in the community.
Dr Tony Hollohan said that it is very important for people to take basic measures and reduce exposure in the next few weeks to help reduce the number of Covid-19 infections. | Read more: https://t.co/5cMQjuHRps pic.twitter.com/bIgKf4FHIl
In Northern Ireland, 9 more deaths were reported today from patients who previously tested positive for Covid-19.
The Ministry of Health there also reported another 995 cases of the virus. Yesterday morning, the hospital had 378 Covid-positive patients, 39 of whom were in the intensive care unit.
The number of cases has increased by 25% in the past week
The chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group stated that the number of cases between last week and this week has increased by 25%.
Professor Philip Nolan said at the NPHET briefing that the 14-day cumulative incidence is now close to 700 per 100,000.
He said that four weeks ago, there were about 1,500 cases a day, and yesterday, the 7-day average was 2,612.
He said that the average number of hospitalizations in the past seven days was 493. He said that the average number of hospitalized people per day is around 60, an increase of 50% from four weeks ago.
Professor Nolan said that the number of people staying in the ICU every day is 6 people.
Professor Philip Nolan said at the NPHET briefing that as the number of Covid-19 continues to increase, “we need to reduce our social connections”. | Read more: https://t.co/5cMQjuHRps pic.twitter.com/21D2SQFkau
Will the latest coronavirus news NPHET recommend new restrictions?
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"You have endured a lot" to keep everyone safe
The HSE's clinical director of infection control said that what the children are doing in school is working, and they "have no immediate plans to change what we do in school."
Professor Martin Cormican said at today's NPHET briefing that the increase in socialization is driving this growth, and it is not because the children are going to school. He said that teachers and children are able to do this because of their contributions.
Professor Comiken thanked the children for their efforts during the pandemic. He said that these have been difficult years. "You have done a lot to protect the safety of yourself, classmates, teachers and everyone else."
Dr. Martin Cormican expressed his “thank you” for everything the children did to help each other be safe during the pandemic. | Read more: https://t.co/5cMQjuHRps pic.twitter.com/ykow2mdrhV
The vaccine "flood wall" is "holding tightly"
Earlier, the chief clinical officer of HSE stated that despite the surge in Covid-19 cases, the vaccine-protected flood wall remains strong.
Dr. Colm Henry stated in RTÉ's Irish Morning News that the infection rate has risen from 400 per 100,000 to 677 per 100,000.
However, he said that the numbers in hospitals and intensive care units have stabilized, and said that "the injuries (the cases) caused by them are much lower than in January."
Dr. Henry said that the number of Covid-19 cases per day has soared to more than 3,000 in recent days, but due to vaccination, the infection caused fewer injuries and diseases.
He said that vaccines alone cannot prevent the spread of the virus, and he called on people who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated or get any effective boosters.
Dr. Colm Henry urges unvaccinated people to get vaccinated | Read more: https://t.co/r8obbAzh0q pic.twitter.com/5atXJp6iRs
He added that the model continued to show that the transmission rate of Covid-19 in the school environment was very low, and he said that 70,000 additional tests were conducted on children in September, and only 1.7% of the tests were positive.
Dr. Henry explained that children are more likely to get Covid-19 at home because the general population begins to mix more.
He added that in some hospitals with high occupancy and congestion rates, selective activities have been cancelled.
Dr. Colm Henry presented in the Irish Morning News on the latest situation of the pressure on the healthcare system caused by Covid-19, especially ICU beds and surgery cancellations | Read more: https://t.co/tnH3Xa2nbO pic.twitter. com/DtZwV5rEWm
At the same time, the emergence of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases has increased the pressure on health services.
One-third of the beds in the ICU are currently occupied by Covid-19 patients, and the remaining beds are occupied by people with severe illness or trauma.
The booster program will start this week
Damien McCallion, who is in charge of the Covid vaccination program at HSE, said that this week, an enhanced program will be implemented for people in their 60s and medical staff.
Mr. McCallion said that HSE has the ability to vaccinate 700,000 doses of vaccines at the vaccination center every week, and it has the ability to increase its inventory while getting more booster vaccines.
He told RTÉ's News at One that booster vaccination for people aged 70-79 will be performed during GP surgery, while people aged 60-69 will be vaccinated at a vaccination center.
He said that all these age groups will be directly contacted through their general practitioners or HSE database.
Mr. McCallion said that the intensive vaccination program for in-patient caregivers over 65 years of age is now almost complete.
Among those in their 80s, 130,000 out of a total of 161,000 people also received the third dose of the vaccine, including those who were homeless.
He said that immune-compromised people under the age of 60 are listed as the first to receive the third dose of vaccine. Of the estimated 90,000 people in this category, 43,000 have already received the booster.
Mr. McCallion said that 300,000 medical staff will be vaccinated at vaccine centers and hospitals this weekend.
Pharmacies are also expected to play a role in vaccinating medical staff.
He said that the supply of vaccines will not limit the implementation of the enhanced plan, and there will be sufficient supply to complete the plan.
He added that for those who received the third dose of vaccine, according to NIAC's recommendations, their first dose must have been six months in the past. Mr. McCallion said that the retention of the vaccine center is to support the strengthening plan and reduce the pressure on the primary health care system as the winter enters.
He said this will allow these centers to receive booster vaccines now and allow general practitioners to focus mainly on other tasks.
He also said that the Covid-19 testing and contact tracing system is under pressure, and community referrals have increased by 20% in recent days.
Mr. McCullion said that the system is currently responding, but a surge plan has been developed, including automatic calls to some close contacts.
He said: "We are currently responding to cases... but there is no doubt that the increase in cases has put some pressure on our detection and tracking system and the hospital system."
Mr. McCallion said that infections are more family and community-driven, and said the school principal has done “extraordinary work” to ensure the safety of the school.
The CEO of Limerick University Hospital Group stated that although the number of patients receiving Covid-19 treatment has declined since last week, they expect the high level of community transmission to be reflected in their emergency services in the next two weeks middle.
In an interview with RTÉ News for the first time, Colette Cowan said that today, 36 inpatients in the entire hospital group are receiving viral treatment, which is lower than the level they treated 50-60 patients last week.
However, she said that the level of community transmission is still high, and they expect this to be reflected in their emergency services in the next two weeks.
She said they had to implement a key reinforcement plan last weekend.
This involves converting their four highly dependent hospital beds into intensive care beds to provide care for emergency department patients who have tested positive for Covid-19.
In the past month, there have been many cases of new coronary pneumonia in the hospital, which has restricted the time for consultation to ensure the safety of patients.
Ms. Cowan said that in the past two weeks, they have seen a "substantial increase" in the number of pediatric visits in the emergency department.
She said that the average number of patients in the emergency room before the pandemic was 195, but now the average is 226. In the past two weeks, there was a peak of 310 people in one day.
She added that an average of 40-50 employees take time off due to Covid-related issues.
At the same time, Minister of State Niall Collins defended the Minister of Health's proposal to extend emergency legislation on masks, Covid-19 passes, law enforcement powers and fixed penalty notices.
In today's RTÉ dialogue with Claire Byrne, he said that the government must take action to protect human life and public health, and make decisions based on recommendations and in consultation with NPHET.
Secretary Collins expressed the hope that this will be the final extension of power, but will require legislation to extend it beyond February.
In addition, Tadhg Daly, CEO of the Irish Nursing Home, said that he was pleasantly surprised when he heard Minister Donnelly announced during RTÉ's prime time that he would resume a series of tests in the Nursing Home.
Mr. Daly said that there are currently 62 outbreaks in nursing homes, but in the recent 83% of the outbreaks, there were 5 or fewer cases, which shows that infection control measures are working, and that enhanced injections provide residents with additional protection .
He also said that a small number of employees were redeployed or left because they did not want to be vaccinated, and that he believed that the issue of mandatory vaccination of medical staff should be kept on the agenda.
Additional reporting by Micheál Lehane
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