Covid-19: NI and Ireland Chief Medical Officers urge everyone to stay home

Both CMOS urged the public to remain at home while infection rates for Covid-19 are high. File picture.
Chief Medical Officers in Northern Ireland and Ireland have voiced their concerns about the high levels of Covid-19 and are urging everyone to stay home.
Chief Medical Officers Dr Michael McBride and Dr Tony Holohan said: “As CMOs, we are gravely concerned about the unsustainably high level of Covid-19 infection we are experiencing on the island of Ireland.
“This is having a significant impact on the health of our population and the safe functioning of our healthcare systems.”
The CMOs commented on the increase in mortality figures in both Northern Ireland and Ireland, saying: “We are likely to see ongoing increases in hospitalisations, ICU admissions and mortality in the weeks ahead.”
Both strongly urge everyone to stay at home except for essential reasons and to avoid all unnecessary journeys, including cross-border travel.
Dr McBride and Dr Holohan emphasised that staying home will slow down the rate of hospital admissions: “Not only will you keep yourself and your loved ones safe, but also help to save lives and avoid more preventable Covid-19 admissions to our currently struggling healthcare systems.
“We will continue to work together to protect public health across the island, as we have done throughout this pandemic,
The concerns voiced by both CMOs follow the publication of the latest Covid-linked death toll in Northern Ireland.
Data from Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19 than the death toll reported by Stormont’s Department of Health.
The department’s statistics focus primarily on hospital deaths and only include people who have tested positive for the virus.
While the departmental death toll stood at 1,533 on Thursday, Nisra has reported coronavirus as a factor in 2,019 deaths that occurred up to January 8.