The chief medical officer did not recommend new Covid restrictions when he met government party leaders last night.
But Dr Tony Holohan presented them with new modelling about the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
It made up 14 per cent of yesterday’s Covid figures – and the CMO expects that to rise rapidly in the coming days.
NPHET will fully consider whether new measures are needed when it meets tomorrow (Thursday) morning.
Kilkenny based GP Dr Justin Kwong told ‘The Way it is’ the best advice is still to be vaccinated:
“Anyone who has been unvaccinated may be at higher risk of getting severe side-effects anyway, just from the fact that they haven’t been vaccinated”
And he says early indications show nothing to suggest that we should be overly fearful of the new variant, yet:
“In terms of the actual Omicron variant itself, I haven’t heard of any increase or large increase in hospitalisations, especially into an ICU setting. But then again, I suppose it is early days that Europe is seeing it so it is one of those things that time will give us a better idea”