A stark warning’s been issued to locals about the rise of the Delta Variant in Carlow and Kilkenny.
The Clinical Director of St Luke’s General Hospital says the new strain is now the dominant version of the virus locally and across the country and has caused a concerning outbreak in Waterford which now has the second highest infection rate in the country.
Prof Gary Courtney is asking locals to double down on all the simple public health measures to slow the spread into Carlow and Kilkenny.
He says the best protection is to get vaccinated but that we should all avoid meeting people indoors at the moment.
Meanwhile, 512 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported today – the highest daily total in nearly a month.
46 patients are being treated in hospital for the virus, up two from Thursday, while the ICU figure is unchanged, at 14.
A Kilkenny GP says people don’t want to hear that we have to batten down the hatches again in the face of the Delta wave – particularly younger people.
The C-M-O Tony Holohan has warned that the Delta variant will cause a new wave that’s likely to peak in August or September and the worst case scenarios show thousands of new deaths are possible.
But prominent local doctor Tadhg Crowley says people he’s talking to don’t seem to be interested in listening to the public health warnings.
