Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team - Tuesday 30 November
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 5,471 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
As of 8am today, 579 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of whom 122 are in ICU.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said:
"The ongoing efforts by parents and children to adhere to the public health advice during this pandemic has been fundamental to our work to drive down the incidence of COVID-19 in the community.
"Our priority continues to be to minimise risk and protect as many people as possible from severe illness.
"In a very short period of time, we have seen a significant and rapid deterioration in the epidemiological situation, in the as-yet-unvaccinated 5 – 11-year-olds. This has resulted in a sharp increase in incidence in this age group.
"In addition to the public health advice to all of us to reduce discretionary social contact and for at least the next two weeks, the following events and activities should be avoided:
"Further to this, parents should:
"If anyone in your household is symptomatic, they should isolate and get a PCR test. You should not use or rely on the results of an antigen test if you have symptoms.
"If your child is a close contact of a case in school, you may be asked to use antigen tests, supplied by the HSE, as an additional tool. If any stage your child develops symptoms of COVID-19 or an antigen test is ‘positive’ they should be isolated at home and parents should arrange a PCR test for them.
"One in five young adults are not yet vaccinated. Please consider vaccination for any older children in your household not yet protected.
"These measures are not what any of us want to hear, particularly at this time of year. We know that it adds an additional burden at what has been a very difficult time for all of us, particularly those with young families.
"NPHET has recommended, on a temporary basis, the wearing of face masks for children:
"This measure will be subject to review by NPHET in mid-February 2022.
"I am hopeful that if we all make a concerted effort to follow these measures for at least the next two weeks, we can make a real difference to incidence of disease in this cohort and in the wider public."
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:
Statistics on booster vaccinations are now available on the COVID-19 data hub.
#LayerUp to protect against COVID-19 infection. A range of posters and signs are available for you to use.