National Covid-19 case numbers confirmed
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 5,940* PCR-confirmed cases of COVID-19. In addition, on Tuesday 1 February, 6,620** people registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal.
There has been a total of 6,228 deaths related to COVID-19 notified in Ireland. This includes 92 deaths newly notified in the past week (since last Wednesday).
As of 8am today, 630 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 65 are in ICU.
Irish health officials have warned that the level of Covid-19 infection in Ireland will remain high into the near future.
The chief medical officer also indicated on Wednesday that the exact future of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) is yet to be determined, as Ireland hopes to move beyond the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The appearance of Dr Tony Holohan, alongside other officials, at a Oireachtas health committee meeting on Wednesday came less than two weeks after the Government announced a major easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
Many politicians took the opportunity to look back retrospectively on Ireland’s handling of the pandemic, as well as probing what lessons have been learned from the last two years.
Politicians also repeatedly paid tribute to the work of Dr Holohan and his colleagues since the pandemic began.
In his opening statement, Dr Holohan said the current epidemiological situation is “broadly positive” and that the country is in a “much improved situation”.
Key indicators such as case numbers, hospital and ICU admissions and demand for testing are all reducing.
However, he also warned “the pandemic is not over”, and that other variants of concerns are likely to emerge after Omicron.
Taking questions from TDs and senators, the chief medical officer doubled down on that warning.
Dr Holohan warned that he expects a “high level of infection” to continue into the future.
He also said that health officials had noticed a “slight increase” in transmission levels among 19 to 24-year-olds.