Aoife Moore: Nphet recommends Level 5 but how did we get here?

Hospital admissions are just one of the factors studied by the public health experts but it was noted as a major cause of concern over the weekend

Dr Tony Holohan arriving at Government Buildings prior to a discussion with the leaders of the three government parties concerning the recommendation that the entire country be placed under a nationwide level 5 lockdown to combat rising cases of Covid-19. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

The recommendation by public health officials to put the entire country into Level 5 came as a shock to the public on Sunday night but the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) says Ireland's lack of healthcare capacity was the driving force behind the advice.

On Thursday — just three days before the bombshell recommendation was made — Nphet noted: “While current trajectory is very concerning, current epidemiological data does not strongly support move to Level 3 nationally at this time”.