More than one million cases of Covid-19 have now been recorded in Ireland.
23,909 new infections were confirmed last evening.
More than 1,000 patients with the virus are in hospitals, with 89 of those in intensive care.
46 were at St Luke’s General for Carlow and Kilkenny after three new admissions in the 24 hours to 8pm last night but none of them required critical care it seems.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is due to consider mandatory vaccination, an approach that the Taoiseach and the Chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) say they would oppose.
Senior Lecturer in RCSI and Infectious Diseases consultant in Beaumont Hospital, Eoghan DeBarra, says Ireland’s high rate of vaccination is the main factor keeping the rate of hospitalisation low. (Details on local vaccination centres here).
It’s as new data released shows that Kilkenny recorded the country’s third-highest 14-day incidence rate over Christmas with 1,855 per 100,000. 1,366 was the national figure for the time frame with Westmeath’s more than double that, followed by Clare.
While Carlow was more mid-table and the lowest fortnightly figures were in Kerry, Wexford and Waterford.
