3,666 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed this evening (Tuesday).
There’s 638 patients in hospital, while in ICU there are 130 – which is the highest since February.
Two of the 19 Covid-patients at St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny are in ICU.
A hospital consultant is appealing to people who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19 to consider the consequences.
Michael Conway, Cardiologist at St Luke’s Hospital for Carlow Kilkenny says if you are not vaccinated then you are depending on your own immunity which is not good enough to protect you from the worst cases of the virus.
No extra restrictions are expected to be recommended at NPHET’s meeting on Thursday.
That’s what the chief medical officer, Tony Holohan, told politicians at a briefing this afternoon.
It comes as the five-day moving average of Covid cases now stands at 4,712.
A local principal is appealing for qualified people to help out as substitutes in our schools.
It comes as hundreds of teachers are currently off work due to Covid-19.
Final-year exams may be brought forward to allow trainee teachers to take on urgent substitution roles in schools.
Teacher training colleges discussed this possibility with Education Minister Norma Foley this afternoon.
The meeting was described as ‘positive’ – but it was acknowledged trainee teachers are not the only solution to the crisis.
Carlow Educate together Principal Simon Lewis says they are looking for anyone who can help to ease the crisis, like retired teachers or anyone with a degree and Garda vetting.
