THE COVID-19 pandemic is reducing or remaining stable in Ireland, new indicators show.
On the day Ireland reopened for inter-county travel and the easing of restrictions on personal services and retail, the Health Service Executive yesterday announced that there had been a significant drop in the number of people in hospital with the disease.
There are now 104 Covid-19 patients in hospital, down from 124 the day before, RTÉ News reports.
This is a significant reduction from the peak of the disease, when there were more than 2,000 people hospitalised.
The five-day moving average of cases is 425, compared to 489 last week, and 32 people are being treated in intensive care units.
There were 381 additional cases reported yesterday, and no deaths reported in either the Republic or Northern Ireland, a hugely positive milestone.
The national 14-day incidence rate is 129 cases per 100,000 people, and while cases in Donegal remain relatively high at 260.7, County Kerry reports an incidence rate of just 13.5, and Sligo 18.3.
As of last Saturday, 8 May, there have been 1,827,610 doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered in Ireland: 1,327,821 people have received their first dose, and 499,789 people have received their second dose, a significant factor in the continued reduction of the disease.
Should these trends remain positive, with a continued reduction in hospitalisations, the country can expect to reopen further in the coming weeks, with outdoor and indoor dining and drinking, and even mass gatherings such as concerts tipped to return in July.
