Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team - Friday 10 December
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 10 December 2021
- Last updated on: 13 December 2021
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 4,115 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
As of 8am today, 511 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of whom 110 are in ICU.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said:
"We are in a very uncertain and unstable position due to the high incidence of COVID-19 in Ireland driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant. This is a matter of very significant concern as we wait for more evidence relating to the Omicron variant and the impact it may have to emerge.
"At the moment, based on the evidence available to us, we believe that the public health measures we are so familiar with will work to slow and stop the transmission of the Omicron variant, as well as the Delta variant. Early indications suggest that a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine will offer good protection against infection from Delta and Omicron.
"If you are eligible for a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine, then please take the opportunity to receive your vaccine as soon as it is available to you. Similarly, if you are yet to receive a primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine then please come forward as soon as possible. You can get more information on where you can receive your vaccine, as well as trusted public health information on HSE.ie, or by contacting your GP or local pharmacy.
"We are all aware that this day two weeks is Christmas Eve, a time of year when we all look forward to coming together with friends and family.
"You can take measures today and in the next few days that will ensure the safest possible interaction with your loved ones over Christmas.
"Risk assess the environments you plan to be in over the next two weeks - consider if they offer the opportunity to protect yourself with each layer of the public health advice and if you can:
- avoid crowds and reduce your contacts
- wear a mask, including in crowded outdoor environments
- keep your distance - if you feel unsafe, feel empowered to leave
- open windows and avoid poorly ventilated indoor spaces
- clean your hands regularly
Notes
Day to day variation in the reported number of cases of COVID-19 does not impact on key trend analysis. Analysing over a longer time period such as a week or 14 days, smooths out any variations introduced by processing times, and provides a more stable picture of the trend.
The number of notifications on CIDR will differ from other HSE data sources, such as positive SARS-CoV-2 results uploaded to the COVID Care Tracker, for several reasons including:
- deduplication of repeat positive tests in the same person
- differing upload schedules by the laboratories to CCT and CIDR – uploading of positive records on CIDR by laboratories is a more manual process than uploading to CCT. Uploading to CIDR typically occurs on the day or within one day of authorisation of the laboratory test result
- the time required for the two-step method of processing notifications on CIDR - this typically occurs either on the day or within one day of laboratories uploading positive records on CIDR
Statistics on booster vaccinations are now available on the COVID-19 data hub.