HSE boss Paul Reid said that he expects the Omicron strain to become dominant in Ireland.
Less than two weeks after the first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was confirmed in Ireland, further cases have now been detected by health officials.
The first case of Omicron was formally identified on Wednesday, 1 December following following the review of a number of samples by the National Public Health and Emergency Team (NPHET).
On Thursday (9 December), the Health Service Executive of Ireland confirmed that there are now six cases of the variant in Ireland.
The news was delivered during the weekly HSE operational update on the response to Covid-19.
HSE chief Paul Reid said that he anticipates the Omicron strain will become dominant throughout the country before long. A number of additional potential cases are currently being investigated.
“There are now six confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Ireland,” said Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan.
“A number of other probable cases are under investigation.”
Speaking earlier on Thursday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that further Covid restrictions cannot fully be ruled out at this point in time, despite reports that the Omicron variant may not be as severe as previous iterations.
“It’s challenging but the early signs are that we are looking at a more infectious variant that may not – but the jury is well out on this – be as damaging from a disease perspective,” he said.
The Taoiseach’s comments follow warnings over potential travel-related restrictions as Christmas approaches.
Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan told a meeting on Wednesday that the incidence of Covid-19 transmission in the community remains high, and the future of the new variant is unknown.
According to the Irish Times, there is also a fear that the situation in Ireland could become as bad as the UK, with cases of Omicron doubling each day.
While Dr Holohan did not indicate that NPHET would be proposing new restrictions, sources have said that it could be a possibility from next week as more data will have been gathered on the spread of the variant.
During the week, BioNTech and Pfizer presented a report that a booster dose of their Covid vaccine neutralises the Omicron variant following a laboratory test.
A statement on the Pfizer website notes that the effectiveness of protection from the Omicron variant increased by 25 times following a third dose.
“Although two doses of the vaccine may still offer protection against severe disease caused by the Omicron strain, it’s clear from these preliminary data that protection is improved with a third dose of our vaccine,” Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Pfizer said.
“Ensuring as many people as possible are fully vaccinated with the first two dose series and a booster remains the best course of action to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
Featured Image of Paul Reid via Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie
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