The Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, has urged the public to reduce contacts to a minimum as the number of people infected with Covid-19 continues to soar.
Almost 5,000 new cases and a further seven deaths were reported yesterday. A backlog of around 9,000 positive cases is now being cleared and is part of the reason the latest figures are so high.
685 people are now hospitalised, with 62 of those in intensive care - those figures have doubled in less than a week. Both public health officials and politicians are gravely concerned about the upward trajectory of these stark Covid-19 figures.
Dr Glynn warned that while the vaccine was a justifiable reason for hope, it would not protect against new infections in the next two