42 Covid patients at St Luke’s Hospital for Carlow-Kilkenny as HSE boss says there are signs we’ve reached the peak of Omicron wave

The head of the HSE says there are “positive indications” Ireland has reached the peak of the Omicron wave.

Paul Reid says the rise in Covid hospitalisations has steadied and there has been a reduction in GP referrals for testing.

Latest figures show 1,011 people are in hospital with the virus and 92 are in ICU, while yesterday saw a further 18,904 cases reported.

St Luke’s hospital for Carlow-Kilkenny was reporting 42 patients with Covid last night.

There is no-one with the virus in ICU at the local hospital at the moment.

Mr Reid says there are early signs the peak of the current wave has been reached:

“I would be cautiously hopeful that we are reaching the stage, I mean there’s a few positive indications from a Health Service perspective”