443 Covid cases as 'race between virus and vaccine' continues

Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

There have been 443 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed this afternoon, according to the Department of Health.

There are 43 Covid patients in hospital, up five since yesterday.

The number of people in ICU stays the same at 13.

Concerns is growing among health officials about the Delta variant which currently accounts for at least 20% of cases here.

Nphet is due to meet on Wednesday to consider the next stage of reopening on July 5, including indoor dining.

Some health officials say delaying the planned easing of restrictions by three or four weeks could allow a safer re-opening.

Dr Nuala O'Connor, clinical lead on Covid-19 for the Irish College of GPs, says delaying the next stage of easing restrictions is the safest option.

"Nobody wants to go backwards and we don't need to go backwards," said Dr O'Connor.

"I know it is difficult for the people who are in the hospitality industry but if we can hold firm for another three or four weeks just so that we can get more of the population vaccinated, I think we can then open more safely."

Professor Gabriel Scally believes the reintroduction of indoor dining should be delayed as should the planned restart of foreign travel from July 19.

Prof Scally said Ireland is in a race between virus and vaccine.

He said this is not the year for people to go on international holidays as travel only helps the virus.

"People will be going to resorts and places in the Med, for example, where people will be there from all sorts of countries," said Prof Scally.

"It is a mixing ground for the virus and the more cases there are, the more chances we have of variants. The more travel we have, the easier it is for them to come at us."

The Health Minister has added nine designated States, including Indonesia and Russia, to the list of countries where travellers coming into Ireland must enter hotel quarantine.

From Tuesday, people entering the country from the Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Haiti, Indonesia, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Russia and Tunisia must enter mandatory hotel quarantine.

Vaccination

Meanwhile, the chief executive of the HSE has said while the Delta variant poses an “obvious threat,” we are tackling it with a stronger hand thanks to the success of the vaccination programme.

Over 270,000 vaccines have been administered this week, Paul Reid said, meaning over 40% of the adult population is now fully vaccinated.

On Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines should be reconsidered for younger cohorts stating the spread of the Delta variant has changed the "balance of risk".