There have been 1,571 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported by the Department of Health today.
As of this morning, there are 307 people hospitalised with COVID in Ireland, of whom 55 are in the ICU.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer said that there is still an “extremely high incidence” of the disease in the community.
The two week incidence rate is now 526 cases per 100,000 people, and over the past five days there have been an average of 1,814 confirmed cases a day.
“Mask wearing is a simple and effective way of breaking the chains of transmission,” Tony Holohan said, adding “If you are infected but do not have symptoms or have yet to develop symptoms, you can still spread the virus to others. Face masks help reduce this risk”
He said that the number of people who reported wearing face masks in public areas has fallen from 94% in January of this year, to 84% this month.
“Please, continue to wear a mask in indoor settings like retail, on public transport and in restaurants and in crowded outdoor settings. This remains a simple but important measure that we all can take to prevent this virus spreading in our communities.”
Prof Phillip Nolan said that “Our modelling is telling us that we should soon reach the peak of the current wave of infections caused by the Delta variant.
“We have been living with COVID-19 restrictions for a significant period of time – it is now 542 days since we reported the first case of COVID-19 in Ireland. It is understandable that many of us are tired of the public health measures that we continue to advise.”
“Unfortunately, this disease continues to evolve and the very best way we can protect ourselves and each other is to continue to do our very best to follow the public health advice.”
“A high level of protection against the spread of disease is on the horizon once all of us who are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine do so, and importantly, once we all complete the full dosing schedule.”
People are considered to have the full protection of their vaccine between 7 to 14 days after they get their final shot.
Dr Cillian De Gascun said that roughly 60% of the people who are receiving critical care in hospital for COVID are eligible to be vaccinated.
“This is a stark reminder to all of us to receive our COVID-19 vaccines as soon as we are eligible to do so.”
