"People are extremely sick with this virus."
CEO of the HSE Paul Reid confirmed that hospital Covid cases across Ireland have continued to rise, with 1,846 Covid patients currently in hospitals across the country.
As of this morning, 171 people are in intensive care units (ICU) with Covid-19.
Commenting on these figures, Reid said: "People are extremely sick with this virus. Despite some hopeful trends on transmission levels, it's still hugely prevalent in your area. Please stick with us."
In more optimistic news, the average number of close contacts for those testing positive is falling quickly and is now down to just one close contact outside of a person's household.
Thursday night saw the Department of Health confirm that 28 more people with Covid-19 have died, while 3,955 new cases were confirmed in Ireland.
Speaking of these 28 deaths, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said: "The ages of those who have died range from 25 to 98 years. Every death associated with Covid-19 is a tragedy.
"We must cut our social contacts in order to break the chains of transmission and protect those who are most vulnerable to this disease. Stay at home and save lives.”
As of Wednesday night (13 January),
69,378 frontline workers have been vaccinated, while 7,925 doses of the vaccine have been distributed across 27 long-term care facilities.
