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LAST UPDATE | 23 Dec 2021
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have been notified of 7,411 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland today with Omicron now accounting for almost three-quarters of cases in Ireland.
As of 8am, 390 people were in hospital with the virus, 98 of whom are in intensive care.
Yesterday, 6,307 new cases were confirmed, a total of 429 Covid-19 patients were in hospital and 100 people were in ICU.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) said on Wednesday that there had been 55 deaths notified to them in the past week, bringing Ireland’s total to 5,890. In the previous week, there had been 47 deaths notified.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, said as Omicron becomes the dominant strain cases are set to rise.
“With Omicron now accounting for almost three quarters of cases in Ireland, today’s high number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is not unexpected, and we expect to see a rapid increase in case figures over the coming short period of time.
“It is imperative that all of us, to the greatest extent possible, make every effort we can in the next two to three weeks to only meet with members of our own households. Consider you plans over the Christmas period and into the early part of the New Year and try to keep your contacts as low as possible.
“If someone in the household receives a “detected” or “positive” test result either via a PCR test or an antigen test, then all members of the household should restrict their movements and not attend work or socialise with others,” he said.
With Omicron now accounting for almost three quarters of cases in Ireland, today’s high number of confirmed cases of #COVID19 is not unexpected, and we expect to see a rapid increase in case figures over the coming short period of time.
— Dr Tony Holohan (@CMOIreland) December 23, 2021
Dr Holohan said that he and his team understand the difficulties of limiting social contacts at this time of year but he said it was critical to follow the advice.
“Even though we recognise that it is very difficult at this time of year to stay away from loved ones, it is really important that anyone who receives confirmation of a confirmed COVID-19 infection self-isolate for ten days.
“If you are identified as a close contact and have received a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine, then you should restrict your movements for five days. If you have not yet been boosted, you should restrict your movements for ten days. More information is available on www.hse.ie,” he added.
Dr Holohan also said that people who have not recieved the booster must take precautions also.
“This includes avoiding risky environments and keeping your contacts as low as possible. All of the available evidence indicates that a booster vaccine will offer good protection against infection with the Omicron variant.
“If you have recently arrived in Ireland from overseas, then you are advised to take an antigen test for the five days following your arrival into Ireland. If you experience any symptoms of COVID-19, however mild, then you must self-isolate immediately and arrange a PCR test,” he added.
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Hospitalisation numbers are dropping. That’s the only number that matters!!
@John O’Sullivan: totally agree numbers not increasing happy Christmas everyone
@John O’Sullivan: we don’t know if that is due to deaths or people recovering.
@John O’Sullivan: I love how folks on here hang on to the idea that ICU numbers matter the most for the past two years yet the pandemic and the overall situation haven’t got any better, but sure keep telling yourself that
@Niels: I’m going by the science. Not the sensational headlines designed to distract from the fact that our health system was well and truly broken, long before Covid came on the scene.
@John O’Sullivan: I’m just saying!!!! …hospital numbers are a reflection of about 2 weeks ago. today’s numbers will reflect in 10-14 days. Great to see booster take up numbers.
@Tigher Roulie: yes and the data from South Africa, and more recent data published in USA is more indicative of how things will progress here, within the next fortnight.
That was explained ad infinitum if you don’t know by now you never will.
@Niels: I think you need to do a bit more research. Last January, daily case numbers were at this level, with 5 times the hospitalizations and over 200 of those in ICU, and the country locked down. Different ball game this winter, and the country 99% open. Say “thanks vaccines”
@Richarddoherty: the patients put in ICU are the poor souls that they think will survive..
@John Rock: Most of them do.
@Franny Ando: they do but ICU over a long time as in the case of a lot of Covid patients can leave the body shattered. I know a couple of people still disabled from ICU in the very first wave. I’m hopeful that omicron will take over Delta and people can live much more safely with it.
@Joe_X: thanks delta and Omicron for being weaker than their predecessors?
@LaoisWeather: Don’t know about Delta being weaker, and really too early to see if Omicron truly is, but experts did say at the start that it is what happens with virii over time, so most likely a combination of both.
@Niels: more because our ICU is limited. COVID cases taking up the ICU is risking lives on others. I’m not for lockdowns etc. I’m for a reform to the healthcare system. COVID is something we have to live with.
Almost 50% of adults received booster jab. We have nearly 90% fully vaccinated people. Are you just too blind what’s going on? This scaremongering will never end until you say stop.
TIME TO MOVE ON, 7 thousand, 10 thousand even 20 thousand – no matter unless ICU beds capacity will be full.
Merry Christmas all
@Galicki Digital: spot on.
@Galicki Digital: you clearly aren’t having an isolation Christmas.
@Paul Cunningham: Why would they??
@Galicki Digital: you do have a point, there was a massive frightening story when ICU went over 100, silence as it goes under 100.
Merry Christmas everyone! :)
@Lee conroy: and many happy returns!
@Lee conroy: Have a great one.:)
@Lee conroy: Merry Christmas to you too Lee.
High numbers. Low spirits this Christmas.
Here’s to a better 2022 all.
@Madra: Low hospital numbers Low ICU numbers. Try the glass half full its better for you.
@Franny Ando: exactly. Great to see those hospital numbers coming down steadily day on day
@Madra: high cases, but hospitalisation and ICU dropping. Will be interesting to see where this plateaus.
@D. Memery: Probably when the hospitality, live music and arts sectors are finally crushed beyond their tether.
@Franny Ando: I’d imagine you get Covid, get it verified, then get sicker, then end up in hospital, then ICU. True ICU numbers will come in 2 weeks after everyone has seen others etc.
@Madra: Not everyone ends up In hospital never mind ICU. Majority thankfully never have to darken a hospital door. If you want to live in a constant pit of despair so be it but stop trying to drag everyone down with you. Positivity is better for your health both mentally and physically.
Hospitalisation numbers are still dropping. That’s the only number that matters.
@John O’Sullivan: we should be concerned about the numbers of hospital staff who have Covid or are isolating. Staff numbers who are off sick in London hospitals are increasing rapidly.
@Tom Mullally: we should be even more concerned about the sorry state of our health care system
Hospital numbers good again today thankfully
Hospital number is the one that counts and that is down again today. Cases are high but if someone’s nose is blocked up that would count as a case
@Alan Campbell: had it last month (tested positive)..blocked nose and small cough…during isolation on day 7 I hit a PB on the treadmill in my garage for a 5km run..not saying covid isn’t serious for some cuz obviously it is..but my personal experience and all my friends were grand with it so naturally I see these 7000 plus cases and assume they are okay like we were…hence why we should only look at hospital icu cases
@Alan Campbell: I’m unfortunately a positive from yesterday (I’m triple jabbed too). I’ve a blocked nose, sore throat and a cough. I’m feeling ok, I had a flu 2 years ago and felt much worse.
@Pol Mlp: what your time? This country turned into Olympic runners with sub 20s 5K so just curious….
@SM: twas only 26:12..I was very disappointed with our medal count for running in Tokyo last August after the numbers from april 2020 truth be told
@Pol Mlp: solid pace. Nice work.
@Mrs Doyle: good to hear that Mrs doyle, I mean good to hear you felt worse with your flu
@Mrs Doyle: Have a cup it Tea. Go on..Go on… Go on….
@Tony Mc Grath: we laugh at Mrs Doyle but she is used in the consent classes in 3rd level. No matter how much a man pesters you for sex, you have the right to refuse
@Tony Mc Grath: I prefer coffee ;)
@Alan Campbell: thank you, it’s my poor family I feel sorry for as they have to spend Christmas indoors!
High numbers but low hospital admissions and icu going down too. News out of SA seems to be true, Omicron isn’t as dangerous as delta hopefully
@Dawn Harvey: but a lower hospitalisation rate of a much larger case number would still result in more actual hospitalisations. We still need to keep cases down, although, it would appear omicron is allowing for more flexibility.
Brilliant news that 3/4 is Omicron.. It’s very mild. The variants are evolving to be less severe as viruses do as a survival mechanism. People are gaining great natural immunity. It’s at endemic stage. Everything needs to open up and everyone needs to go back to normal. The Globalist’s totalitarian dictatorship plans are falling apart..
@Michael Holland: hopefully it’s disappeared.
@Michael Holland: the rich globalists are telling everyone to get back to work to make them money. Ye conspiracy theorists are so confused.
@Diarmuid Hehir: ha; excellent
@Michael Holland: hahahaha. No.
@Michael Holland: so what is their plan, to kill of the loyal obedient sheep that follow the rules and get vaccinated and keep rebel unruly unvaccinated behind
Happy Christmas everyone hope you all have a great Christmas.
@Mac Dara Powell: Happy Christmas to you too.
@Mac Dara Powell: Same to you:)
Hospital number down 39 as of yesterday. ICU down too. Things to be optimistic about, as bleak as it seems now..
@IAmTheTruth: man from EMA says it could go on for another decade! Some people just love being miserable! That’s why I love listening to Luke!
Read 1984.
It’s all about controlling us.
@billy bound: oh for goodness sake. Grow up!!!!!!
“ICU and Hospital Numbers Continue To Fall As 7411 New Cases Confirmed in Ireland”. Fixed It!
Omicron caught me.. on day 4 of isolation. I think this variant will put an end to covid as we know it.
Numbers will hit 15,000 a day based on the stats. Prepare to be infected, eat healthy, exercise and take your multivitamins over the next few months. We will get through this and hopefully light at the end of the tunnel :)
Reason for hope for 2022. https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-19-like-common-cold-next-spring-experts-worst-pandemic-over-1213893
@Thomas O’ Donnell: And good news from UK https://flip.it/Ou119k People With Omicron Are 50-70% Less Likely To Be Hospitalised Than Other Covid Cases
@Thomas O’ Donnell: not in London though. See if you can get the sky news data analysis from Wednesday night. It’s not as simple as the headlines make out.
Spare a thought for our Tony who’s dear wife RIP this year, can’t be easy for him at this time of year, so we all have to have manners.
More spin and lies
Skyrocking
@Leandro Santos: which is excellent if few are hospitalised and fewer die. Herd immunity here we come
@LaoisWeather: Omicron could be our only way out of this thing
@Mickety Dee: let’s hope
@LaoisWeather: explain your meaning of herd immunity. Or just Immunity. I’ll simplify it for you.
15 to 20k a day by mid January
Lockdowns work!!!!
https://twitter.com/prof_freedom/status/1473635587299151877?s=20
@Verners Tess: no they don’t work
@Mick Dunne: as with scientific fact, it seems sarcasm escapes you!
@Mick Dunne: I’m being sarcastic…..or at least tried to.
Spare a thought for our Tony who’s dear wife RIP this year, can’t be easy for me at this time of year, so we all have to have manners.
Let’s lock ourselves away for the next ten years, come back out and Tony will still be spouting the same rubbish. Pity he wasn’t so concerned about cervical cancer tests
If all our bodies get used to covid and we can handle it and hospitalisations go right down.. then what? Is our future just everyone having covid all the time? Coz whatever anout ur immune system, ya still carry and spread it. So will we just all have covid constantly?
@Rob Gale: Well one theory I read is that long Covid is actually a long dormant virus in the body being reactivated by Covid.
US DOD have developed a vaccine that will stop all covid-19 varients. They have being working on this since they got the low level data from China . I think covid will be struggling to survive in 15 months google Walter Reed vaccine
Hells bells!!!!
@Anna Carr: oh stop being so dramatic
Yippee . That’s more like it. I was afraid for a second that the numbers were going down.
@Susan McMahon: Oh wait, they are. The ones that should make headlines. But we have to keep scaremongering.
have your say