As of 8am on Thursday, 1,535 Covid patients were hospitalised.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has shared positive signs that Ireland may be "beginning to turn the corner" in regards to its current surge of Covid-19.
It comes as the Health Protection Surveillance Centre was notified on Thursday of 5,252 PCR-confirmed cases of the virus.
In addition, on Wednesday, 6,489 people registered a positive Covid antigen test through the HSE portal.
Meanwhile, as of 8am on Thursday, 1,535 Covid patients were hospitalised, of which 58 were in intensive care.
In a Twitter thread, Donnelly highlighted that, in all Covid testing areas, the seven-day moving average positivity rate is falling, as is the seven-day average of new cases.
Citing a better trend in terms of new confirmed cases in hospital, he also stated that less than half of people in Irish hospitals with the virus were admitted because of the disease and that most people with Covid in hospital are asymptomatic and are there for another reason.
"Thankfully, we are seeing fewer people admitted to ICU for Covid," Donnelly added.
"At present, 18 people are in intensive care for a primary diagnosis of Covid."
However, the Minister also said that the overall high numbers of people infected with the virus are still creating huge pressure in hospitals.
https://twitter.com/DonnellyStephen/status/1509573205681479686
Later on Thursday, the emergency legislation put in place to support the Government's response to Covid will expire.
While the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine have called for a return of mask mandates and working from home guidelines on account of the current Covid surge,
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has ruled out such moves.
In a separate video posted to Twitter, Donnelly said the Government is "very happy" to see the emergency powers lapse, while urging people to follow current public health advice.
This includes mask-wearing on public transport, in healthcare settings and in crowded spaces, as well as getting vaccinated or boosted against the virus.
https://twitter.com/DonnellyStephen/status/1509574130621952004
Main image via Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie
