The five-day moving average of daily Covid cases is over 20,000.

Paul Reid said that the daily numbers of Covid are probably higher than those confirmed via PCR. The HSE CEO made the comments on The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk on Tuesday (4 January). Case figures are expected to be around 20,000. https://twitter.com/COVID19DataIE/status/1478320314539032577?s=20 Reid said that due to demand for tests and the high positivity rate, it was likely that the case numbers were higher than those published. “It’s probably much higher than what we’re seeing in the daily cases,” he said. The HSE is currently researching how to log positive antigen tests as part of the daily case numbers, but Reid says that it would be a major undertaking. Reid remained optimistic over the weekend, saying that the public could make moves to help reduce the spread of the virus. https://twitter.com/paulreiddublin/status/1477602753253974024?s=20 "Early days yet, but let's all hope & plan that with the great efforts of the public, our testers & tracers, vaccination teams & all healthcare professionals will mean that at some stage we can all look back on #Omicron," he wrote in a tweet. "We're not there yet but these actions will benefit." The Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland has described the Government's plans to reopen schools without further safety measures as "an unacceptable risk". "The ASTI is deeply concerned that the Minister for Education may reopen schools without putting in place additional measures necessary to safeguard the health and safety of students and school staff," they wrote. "This would constitute an unacceptable risk in the context of the Omicron wave." Ireland recently saw its highest ever daily Covid positivity rate, when 23,281 positive cases were reported on New Year's Day. The United States broke the global record for daily Covid cases on Monday (3 January), when over one million cases of the virus were confirmed nationwide. Featured Image: Leah Farrell / Photocall Ireland