Rise in Covid cases 'twice as bad' as worst projections, Tánaiste tells Fine Gael meeting 

Mr Varadkar said the situation in hospitals was going to be "very difficult" for the next few weeks due to the high case numbers. Picture: Julien Behal

The rise in Covid cases has been "twice as bad as the worst-case projections," Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting today.

The rise in cases, the meeting heard, had arisen from a combination of factors including house gatherings, hospitality settings, the UK variant, travel around the country, mixing of homes over Christmas, international travel with people not isolating for 14 days, and illegal gatherings. 

Sources said that the Tánaiste said that the fact that travellers could fly into Belfast without a negative PCR test and travel across the border represented a "back door" into Ireland.

Mr Varadkar said the situation in hospitals was going to be "very difficult" for the next few weeks due to the high case numbers. 

He said that between 50,000 and 55,000 people will be vaccinated this week and the aim was to complete vaccinations in nursing homes next Sunday.

However, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris is understood to have raised concern about the vaccination programme's communications. 

Mr Harris told the meeting that the public felt "in the dark" on the issue. MEP Frances Fitzgerald is said to have questioned the leadership of the vaccination programme, while the meeting was told that private businesses could be contacted for assistance with logistics.

Junior health minister Frank Feighan told the meeting that over 2,000 people have now completed a training programme for delivering the vaccine.