NPHET says it could be mid-April before Covid-19 cases drop below 200 a day.
It had hoped the target would’ve been reached towards the end of last month before the impact of the UK variant was known.
It comes as one further death was reported last evening with 687 more infections, nine in Carlow with up to four more in Kilkenny.
While 540 people are in hospital with 120 in intensive care. Four of these are in the unit at St Luke’s General for Carlow and Kilkenny, among nine patients with Coronavirus with two further suspected cases. And University Hospital Waterford’s treating 25 people with the virus after one new admission and two others showing symptoms.
Professor Philip Nolan, who chairs NPHET’s modelling group, says key indicators show Ireland’s coming to the end of this period of the pandemic.
But he says while numbers are moving in the right direction, our progress is slow.
Schools
Parents are being reminded again to wear face-masks and not to hang around or congregate at schools.
Yesterday’s reopening for about a third of local primary and secondary students was deemed a success by local principals.
If all goes well and the coronavirus number continue dropping the rest of the primary pupils and fifth years will return to class in two weeks with the rest to follow after Easter.
But Principal Ann Foley, from St John of God Primary in Kilkenny, has been telling KCLR’s The Way It Is with Sue Nunn that some parents did need to be reminded about wearing facemasks on the first morning back.
Listen back to that here:
Sue was also joined by pupil Ellie McGuinness and others – hear what they had to say here:
Lockdown Woes
Local councillors say the oldest and youngest people locally are being hit harder by this lockdown than previous ones.
Mary Hilda Kavanagh says she’s been inundated with phone calls from people who’re stuggling to deal with the current lockdown.
The Fine Gael Cllr says people don’t have anywhere to turn.
While Cllr Deirdre Cullen says she’s seeing a lot of teenagers and young people trying to cope with anxiety and depressions.
