PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have reported 7,729 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

In addition, 15,973 people registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal.

It brings the combined total of Covid-19 cases reported today to 23,702.

As of 8am this morning, 1,338 patients with Covid-19 are hospitalised, of whom 61 are in ICU.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that Ireland is among several European countries that lifted their Covid curbs too “brutally” and are now seeing a rise in cases likely due to the more transmissible BA2 variant.

WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said that Covid is on the rise in 18 out of 53 countries in the WHO European region.

He said that the main reason behind the increase was likely the BA2 variant, which experts say is about 30% more contagious, but not more dangerous, than its predecessor BA1.

The Department of Health reported 63,954 cases of Covid-19 over the St Patrick’s Day weekend. 

Despite the rise in cases, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that the Government has no plans to reintroduce Covid restrictions.

Speaking this morning, he said: “At the moment, there is no public health advice being given to us that we should reintroduce masks or re-impose restrictions in any way. Unless that comes, we’re not going to do it. We don’t anticipate it.”

“It was always expected that when restrictions were eased, that there would be an increase in infections. That will fall off over the next couple of weeks.”