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The Department of Health here in the Irish Republic has confirmed 23,817 new cases of Covid-19 within the past 24 hours.
There are now 941 people in hospital with the virus, up 13 on yesterday’s reported figures, with the number of patients in ICU at 90; down four also on yesterday.
Almost 9.8 million vaccines have now been administered within the Irish Republic.
The HSE’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry has stated that the increases in positive cases are presently among the younger age groups, with cases in the 19-44 year old age group up 200%.
The total number of deaths related to Covid-19 within the Republic of Ireland, since the start of the pandemic, now stands at 5,952.
New Digital Covid Certificates are to be issued to people from this week, to reflect booster vaccines, the Minister for Health has stated. The updated certs will be automatically issued to people who have already received an additional or booster vaccination in recent months.
Chief Executive of the Health Service Executive Mr Paul Reid has stated that there is no doubt that we remain in a very uncertain period of time in terms of the impact of the Omicron virus variant, from a HSE perspective. He further stated that there is no doubt that there are many more cases of Covid-19, than were published, through recent daily figures.
All retailers are being asked to remove Genrui-branded antigen tests from shelves on a voluntary basis, after advice from the Health Products Regulatory Authority. The Genrui brand is not being used by HSE, for close contacts, the health service also confirmed.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority said it would encourage people who experienced a false positive, or negative result, to report the occurrence to it, at devicesafety@HPRA.ie.
In Northern Ireland their Department of Health has reported a further 6,877 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.
There are 404 patients with Covid-19 in northern hospitals, up from 403 on yesterday. There are 30 patients with Covid-19 in hospital intensive care units, 2 less than yesterday.
Sadly however, 4 more Covid-19-related deaths are reported today, bringing the total number of deaths in Northern Ireland, since the start of the pandemic, to 3,002.
The Omicron variant remains dominant in Northern Ireland, accounting for almost 90% of cases.
In Belgium, (latter home to the European Union institutions and NATO), they confirm that daily cases of Covid-19 have reached a new peak this week, with health experts warning of between 30,000 and 125,000 cases per day by mid-January; in a nation of some 11.56 million inhabitants.
In France, the French parliament has approved the government’s latest measures to tackle Covid-19, including a Covid-Vaccine pass. French President Mr Emmanuel Macron, had referred to unvaccinated people as being irresponsible and unworthy of being considered citizens. France registered a record of more than 332,000 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours yesterday and a further 246 Covid deaths in their hospitals, as the country battles a fifth wave of the virus.
In Israel yesterday, hospitalisations stood at 363 patients, after the Health Ministry reported more than 16,000 new cases, latter a record high in Israel since the start of the pandemic.
It was never more important that everyone now continue to support our schools, businesses, immediate family and friends and to keep to the spirit of public health advice.
The Department of Health, here in the Irish Republic, has confirmed 17,656 additional cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours.
There are now 928 people in hospital with the virus, up 44 on yesterday’s reported figures, with the number of patients now in ICUs across the country having risen by 4, to 94, also since yesterday.
Within the period June 27th 2021, to December 25th 2021 last; 55% of ICU admissions were discharged alive, while sadly over 31% lost their lives.
Sadly, there have been 40 deaths over the last 7 days.
The manufacturers of the rapid antigen test, Genrui, latter based in China, have said they are working closely with local agents and partners in Ireland, to actively investigate the product batches, where it has received complaints from users.
Genrui Biotech Inc admits that antigen tests have their limitations and the self-testing product cannot be used alone, for the diagnosis of Covid-19.
The Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has confirmed that it is examining a number of reports of ‘false positive results’ from the kits, which were sold in supermarkets and other outlets in Ireland.
At least one retail outlet, namely Dunnes Stores here in Thurles, has removed the product from its shelves, in light of its lack of accurate testing ability.
Dr Tony Holohan continues to urge people to isolate immediately, if symptomatic, while keeping social contacts as low as possible and avoiding high risk activities and poorly ventilated environments like enclosed corridors.
An Post has stated that several hundred of its nearly 10,000 staff are out, mainly as Covid-19 close contacts, but only 1% of the post office network was impacted yesterday.
It is estimated that some seven or eight thousand teachers will be absent tomorrow when schools reopen, because of Covid-19. Health officials gave unions assurances yesterday that they would continue to meet stakeholders and that those attending the meeting also got a vast amount of data to show that children are not the driving force behind the virus pandemic.
Children who have symptoms of Covid-19, or who live in a household where someone has received a positive test result, either on a PCR or an antigen test should not attend school.
The US President Joe Biden has announced that he is doubling US government purchases of the new Pfizer therapeutic pills, latter designed to combat the worst effects of Covid-19. The new order is expected to take the stockpile to some 20 million doses.
Just when we thought things were looking a little better, due to the more contagious omicron variant being a milder virus than delta; a new variant named IHU, the new B.1.640.2, with 46 mutations, has now emerged, having been identified in south-eastern France.
Experts do not yet know just how dangerous it is and do not yet know anything about where it initially originated. This new variant was detected in early December 2021, in a traveller who returned to France from Cameroon, western Africa; according to medical officials.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has also sadly reported a further 7,133 cases of coronavirus today, with 403 patients reported with Covid-19 in northern hospitals; up from 348 reported yesterday.
Their Department of Health has also reported three more Covid-19-related deaths today, with 32 patients with Covid-19 in their hospital intensive care units, an increase of 1 on yesterday.
It was never more important that everyone continues to support our schools, businesses, our immediate family and friends and to keep to the spirit of public health advice.
The Department of Health has been notified of 21,302 additional cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours here within the Irish Republic.
There are 884 people in hospital with the Covid-19 virus, an increase of 80 on yesterday, while 90 of these patients are in ICU, across the country down 3 on yesterday.
According to Health Service Executive CEO Mr Paul Reid, there is no indication that the Irish Republic has reached the peak of the current wave of Covid-19 cases.
The Health Products Regulatory Agency (HPRA) has received a number of reports from medical professionals and members of the public over the performance of the Genrui antigen test. The stated brand is one of the cheapest and most popular rapid antigen test brands; sold in supermarkets such as Dunnes Stores and Lidl.
Results indicated as positive when using the Genrui test are not being confirmed, when those who believed they were affected have gone for a PCR test.
Medical practitioners have confirmed that there appear to be a large proportion of ‘false positives’ with these named test kits and have warned that this could have major implications, especially now that antigen kits have taken on a greater role in the testing process here in the Republic.
Meanwhile, following a meeting between education Minister Norma Foley, public health representatives, the HSE and education stakeholders it has been accepted that a full reopening of schools will go ahead on Thursday next.
However, a World Health Organization official has stated that evidence is now emerging that the Omicron coronavirus variant is affecting the upper respiratory tract, thus causing milder symptoms than previous variants.
The HSE has confirmed that so far, around 50,300 children aged 5-11 years are now registered for Covid-19 vaccination. Just over 4,000 doses have been administered to date, amongst those children identified as a priority by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.
Here in Co. Tipperary, two post Offices, in the villages of Cappawhite & Kilsheelan remain closed, caused by staff shortages, caused by the pandemic
In Northern Ireland including today, the number of positive Covid-19 cases confirmed over the past seven days was 50,627.
Today also there were 348 patients with Covid-19 in hospitals, with 31 infected patients in northern hospital intensive care units.
Today Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has also, sadly, reported 15 more Covid-19-related deaths, over the past 4 days, bringing their total death number, since the start of the pandemic, to 2,995.
The USA recorded more than one million Covid-19 cases yesterday, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University, as the Omicron variant there also continues to spread rapidly in communities.
The Department of Health has confirmed a further 16,986 cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours here in the Irish Republic.
The number of people with Covid-19 retained in our hospitals has risen to 804, an increase of 87 on yesterday’s reported figures and almost double the figure confirmed on the same day last week.
The number of people in intensive care units with Covid-19 around our Republic has risen by 6 overnight, with 93 patients now receiving care.
The Health Service Executive has confirmed that all children aged 5 years to 11 years can be registered for the Covid-19 vaccine as and from today.
In Northern Ireland, with no figures confirmed again today; at least 120 care homes are known to have been dealing with Covid-19 outbreaks over the weekend, according to Northern Irelands Public Health Agency (PHA).
Stormont ministers have been informed that the Omicron variant now accounts for about 90% of cases within Northern Ireland, with virus cases continuing to surge.
Do please continue to cancel plans to celebrate until later, rather than celebrate now and grieve later.
The Department of Health in our Irish Republic, have reported a further 17,071 confirmed cases of Covid-19, within the past 24 hours.
Latest figures available show there are 717 people with the virus in our Republic’s hospitals, up 61 on yesterday and of these, 87 patients are in ICUs around the country; latter an increase of 2 based on yesterday’s reported figures.
In relation to education, the Green Party leader; Minister for the Environment Mr Eamon Ryan, has stated that he expects that schools, crèches and colleges will reopen as scheduled, despite any rise in cases of Covid-19 within communities. His statement comes as hundreds of thousands of primary and secondary school students are due to return to their classrooms on Thursday next, January 6th.
The number of deaths in the Irish Republic, up to December 29th 2021 last and since the pandemic began, stands sadly at 5,912.
While the Department of Health in Northern Ireland have not publicly updated its Covid-19 database again today; it is understood that the omicron variant has been spreading at an exceptional pace, displaying an even more rapid spread towards the end of 2021, with the infection rate standing at an estimated 1,619.8 per 100,00 of its population, in the seven days up until December 27th; and is now the highest rate within the UK.
While there has been a marginal increase in the number of deaths reported in South Africa, same country has now lifted overnight curfew rules, with officials stating that the country may have passed the peak of its fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
In Antarctica, a Belgian scientific research station is also dealing with an outbreak of Covid-19, despite workers being fully vaccinated and based in one of the world’s remotest regions. Since December 14th at least 16 of the 25 person work force at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station have caught the virus.
On a worldwide basis, we are aware of 289,366,548 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with sadly 5,442,035 deaths caused by the virus, with at least a further 9,176,184,019 confirmed vaccine doses administered, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. However, it is unlikely that figures from North Korea, China and Russia are accurately reported on.
Continue to cancel plans to celebrate until later, rather than celebrate now and grieve later.
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