THE REPUBLIC of Ireland has now recorded more than 100,000 cases of Covid-19.
Following a period in which Ireland enjoyed the lowest incidence rate of coronavirus in Europe, a new wave of infections has seen the country break its record of daily confirmed cases multiple times in the past week.
Yesterday, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre was notified of 4,962 new cases of the virus in Ireland, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 101,887, and a backlog of cases from over the Christmas period means the true number is likely to be higher.
At a press conference yesterday evening, 3 January, it was also announced that a further 7 people have sadly passed away with the virus, bringing the total death toll in Ireland to 2,259 since the pandemic began.
As of 2pm yesterday, 685 Covid-19 patients were hospitalised, with 62 being treated in Intensive Care Units, with experts warning the situation is "unsustainable".
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, yesterday issued a stark warning, stating "This is a critical time.
"We are seeing a really significant surge in infection, which is leading to a very rapid increase in both hospitalisations and admissions to critical care units. This is not only unsustainable for the healthcare system, but also a deeply concerning level of preventable sickness and suffering that we must work together to address as quickly as possible.
"The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has more than doubled from this day last week, and so has the number of people in ICU.
"Remember that behind each hospital statistic and ICU figure is a real person like you, with a family who cares about them, and a team of healthcare workers dedicated to protecting their lives.
"We must be as dedicated as we all were in the spring in our commitment to following the public health advice.
"Act as though you are infectious. Stay at home. Work from home starting from tomorrow, and if you are an employer, ask your employees to work at home. What we all do at a collective level today will have a direct impact on the level of infection and hospitalisations in the weeks to come.
"Your safe actions now will protect our hospitals and those who work so hard in them. Simply put: when you stay at home, you protect the frontline healthcare workers who have worked tirelessly to keep us all safe throughout this pandemic. Hold firm and remember them."
The sheer volume of cases and tests needed has led to close contacts of confirmed cases being unable to receive a test if they do not have symptoms; instead they are told to assume they are positive and immediately self-isolate.
Speaking on Newstalk this morning, HSE Chief Executive Paul Reidy indicated that Ireland will announce up to 7,000 cases in the coming days, a number which has likely already been reached but not announced due to a backlog in cases.
