The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 448* confirmed cases of COVID-19.As of 8am yestrday , 44 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 14 are in ICU. There have been 12 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
Ireland is at the beginning of the fourth wave of Covid-19 and a “serious level of transmission” is expected in the coming weeks, public health officials have warned.The prevalence of Delta in the community is increasing, but its effect on hospitalisations and severe illness is still emerging.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said “We are all concerned about the rapidly changing transmission arising from the Delta variant. However, we know that the basic public health measures will work in protecting people. And we know that all the vaccines offer significant protection against transmitting the disease and in how severe it is for those who pick it up.“
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said:“We have seen an increase in incidence over the last ten days, raising the concern that we are in the early phase of an increase driven by the Delta variant. Incidence is growing at 2% per day, reproduction number is now above 1; estimated at 1.0 to 1.2. Delta is much more transmissible, and it is vital we continue the basic measures to prevent transmission while the vaccination programme rapidly gives us all protection from the virus.”