A major surge in positive cases.
16,428 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland by the Department of Health as of Wednesday evening, 29 December.
568 people are currently in hospital in relation to the virus.
Of those, 93 are in ICU.
22 additional deaths have been reported in the last seven days.
There has been a total of 5,912 deaths related to Covid-19 notified in Ireland.
The @hpscireland has today been notified of 16,428* confirmed cases of #COVID19.
As of 8am today, 568 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of whom 93 are in ICU.
— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) December 29, 2021
Speaking on Wednesday, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that he anticipates the Omicron variant wave will peak “in the next week or so”.
“We will overcome the Omicron wave and hopefully more quickly than prior waves,” Varadkar told the Irish Times.
The Tánaiste underlined the importance of the vaccination rollout, a general increase in natural immunity, new anti-viral medicines and the eventual conclusion of the winter period.
“January will be a difficult month with a lot of pressure on hospitals and absence from work,” he said. “It will be a challenge to manage it well.”
Demand for PCR testing remains visibly high across the country as test centres struggle to meet demand.
Acknowledging the issue, the HSE has said it may lead to longer waiting times for results and urged people with symptoms and positive antigen tests to restrict their movements until they are symptom-free for at least 48 hours.
As of Wednesday, people aged between 30 and 39 who have received their first two doses of the Covid-19 vaccination in the previous three months are now eligible to register for their booster vaccine.
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