19,866 Covid cases confirmed as expert warns against reduction of isolation period

Prof Mills pointed out that the symptoms of BA2 are more upper respiratory and not as severe as earlier variants, but it remained unknown what the long term consequences could be.

Concern has been raised about potential further cuts to the isolation times for positive Covid-19 patients.

Today, 19,866 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed.

Of these, 9,324 were PCR-confirmed cases while 10,542 people registered positive antigen test results through the HSE portal.

As of this morning, there are 1,466 Covid patients in hospitals around the country, an increase of 41 on yesterday.

Of these patients, 55 are in intensive care which is up by two.

Media reports today suggested that the Government is considering reducing the seven-day isolation period in a move to address the high levels of healthcare staff currently missing from work due to Covid-19 infection.

However, Kingston Mills, professor of experimental immunology at Trinity College Dublin, warned that such a move cut lead to more people being infected with the virus.

People could be infectious for up to 10 days, but they might experience symptoms for only three days after which they were tempted to return to work where they could still transmit the virus, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

He said it is very difficult to stop the transmission of the new BA2 sub-variant if people are not wearing masks.

Public Health measures would not make a difference because the variant is so transmissible, he said and staying two metres apart was not going to help if someone with the virus sneezes in a room and they are not wearing a mask.

Prof Mills pointed out that the symptoms of BA2 are more upper respiratory and not as severe as earlier variants, but it remained unknown what the long-term consequences could be.

While young people did not appear to be getting very sick, some people were ending up in hospital and in ICU.

“It is not trivial," he said.