This is the highest number of people in hospital with Covid-19 since 8 May.
581 people are hospitalised with Covid-19 across the country, with 50 of them in the ICU.
There have been 73 Covid-related hospital admissions over the last 24 hours.
In a Tweet posted on Saturday morning, Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid said that 50 patients with the virus are in intensive care units, and warned that “we have likely not seen the worst impacts” of the most recent Covid wave yet.
Reid continued: “But everything we do today to stop this virus spreading makes a huge difference. Please let’s all play our part to protect our health service.”
Meanwhile, Professor Philip Nolan said that positive tests, cases and hospitalisations are now doubling every 7-10 days.
He said: “We can stop this, but it’s essential that each and every one of us plays our part to turn the tide. Stay home.”
Recent information suggests that the new Covid strain that was initially found in England is now in Ireland, but that it is definitely “not responsible” for the recent “significant and concerning increase” in case numbers.
This comes after An Taoiseach blamed the new strain for the recent increase in cases.
As a random, albeit small, selection of cases primarily from the community, these data would suggest that the #SARSCoV2 #UKvariant – at a proportion of <10% – is not responsible for the recent significant & concerning increase in #SARSCoV2 case numbers #Surveillance #StayAtHome
— Cillian De Gascun (@CillianDeGascun) January 1, 2021
An update on Ireland’s current Covid situation is expected this evening.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
