PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have confirmed that 1,910 more cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in Ireland.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has reported that 77 more people in Ireland have died with Covid-19.
76 of the deaths occurred in January and one in December.
The total number of people who have died now stands at 2,947, while the number of cases has reached 186,184.
Of the cases notified today:
The median age of people who died is 84 years and the age range is between 43 and 98 years.
As of 2pm today, 1,892 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of whom 217 are in ICU.
59 additional hospitalisations have been made in the last 24 hours.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said that “through the solidarity shown by families and communities across the country in recent weeks, we are beginning to flatten the curve of Covid-19 infection”.
“Each individual effort to follow the public health advice is making an impact, but we can only continue this positive trend and drive down incidence in the community by continuing to stay at home and avoid meeting or mixing with others in our social circle, including for any close family gatherings, such as birthdays or funerals, as these can be ‘super-spreader’ events,” Dr Holohan said.
We know it is possible to have Covid-19 without displaying symptoms, so we all need to behave as though we are infectious and minimise our close contacts with others.”
“If you suspect that you might be ill, isolate away from others in your household, let your close contacts know and come forward for testing as soon as possible,” he said.
The national 14-day incidence rate now stands at 955.5 cases per 100,000 people.
It remains highest in Monaghan and Louth, where there is a 14-day incidence of 1,787,1 and 1,417.6 per 100,00 respectively.
In Dublin, where 710 new cases were confirmed today, the incidence rate is at 1,061.8 per 1000,000.
Validation of data at the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has resulted in five cases that were previously confirmed being identified, which is reflected in the current total figure of 186,184.
Yesterday, there were 52 deaths and 2,371 cases confirmed.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said today that Ireland will be facing some form of restrictions for at least the first six months of the year.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Brendan O’Connor programme, Martin said the government is taking a “cautious” approach to lifting restrictions, but that “by the summer we will be in a changed environment because of the large-scale vaccination that will have been achieved by then”.
Healthcare workers who still need to receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will likely be waiting until the second week of February, according to HSE Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry.
Dr Henry said that current supply is being used to provide second doses to those who have already received their first dose.
Ireland is waiting to receive further supply before more healthcare workers receive a first dose.
Deaths of people with Covid-19 are not reported in real time but may have occurred over a period of several days.
The number of deaths reported on a given day, therefore, does not necessarily mean that a person with Covid-19 died within the previous 24-hour period or even the preceding few days.
In the early days of the pandemic, Dr Holohan urged families, despite the difficulty, to register their loved ones deaths as early as possible so that health officials could gain an accurate picture of mortality.
Essentially, there is a delay between when a person dies from Covid-19 and the National Public Health Emergency Team being informed of their passing.
With reporting from Cónal Thomas
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