More than 1 million cases have been reported since the pandemic began

There were 23,909 new cases of Covid-19 reported by the Ministry of Health.

This results in the total number of cases reported by the department since the pandemic began with over 1 million people.

The number of hospitalized patients for Covid-19 is 1,063, an increase of 79 from yesterday.

Eighty-nine of these patients are being treated in the intensive care unit, an increase of six.

The number of patients treated in the hospital is the highest since February 9, 2021, when 1,104 Covid-19 patients were treated in the hospital.

RTÉ News asked HSE if it could provide current data on the number of cases in hospitals treated with Covid-19 and data on patients who tested positive for Covid-19 for other reasons. ..

Meanwhile, HSE CEO said he didn’t feel like he had reached the peak of the Covid-19 wave in terms of staff impact and hospitalization.

However, Paul Reed said the number of ICUs has been stable so far, while the proportion of hospitalized cases in the total number of daily positive cases has dropped significantly compared to the previous wave. ..

“We all want to avoid hospitalization. The best way to avoid hospitalization is to avoid Covid infections,” he said.

Regarding RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Reed said the average length of stay for Covid patients is about 6-7 days.

He said patients needed the same amount of care as before, but the number of people in need of advanced respiratory support decreased proportionally to previous cases.

He said the severity of the Omicron subspecies may not be as strong as the other variants, but the hospitalized people are not there because of a mild illness.

Ask if there are any signs of peaking # COVID19 Number of medical staff with infectious diseases or unemployment, HSE Chief @paulreiddublin To tell @MorningIreland ‘It certainly doesn’t feel like it is now’ | https://t.co/hn4ASo3sxn pic.twitter.com/FFBM2T9hB5

-RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 10, 2022

Currently, 14,000 to 15,000 staff are absent due to Covid-related issues, and while impacting care, HSE is taking steps to minimize this.

He also said that 83,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 were enrolled in the vaccine and 27,000 in this age group received the first dose.

He said vaccine intake was consistent with a continuous and steadily increasing intake for ages 12-15 and encouraged parents to take the time to read the information.

Asked about the Irish Times report stating that the National Public Health Emergency Team is set to consider compulsory vaccination, Reed said he disagrees with such a move, but said it was a government decision.

Reed also said a portal for registering positive antigen tests should be up and running this week, which will also have the ability to allow people to enter their close contact.

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The chairman of the National Immunology Advisory Board said the children’s vaccination program is off to a good start and we hope that the number of children will continue to grow in the future.

Professor Karina Butler said that not all children are infected with mild Covid-19, and many children are seriously ill in the hospital with the virus.

“Vaccinations can help move things towards a more normal childhood for children,” Butler said in a conversation with today’s Claire Burn at RTÉ.

Butler also said that Omicron variants appear to cause mild illness, but the effects of the vaccine need to be confirmed.

“Many people vaccinated with Omicron are actually vaccinated, especially in Ireland, and at least 50% are no more,” she said.

“And it tends to be a very mild illness, and in fact most of the time you don’t get hospitalized.”

Professor Karina Butler says about the idea of ​​compulsory vaccination @TodaywithClaire “It’s always preferable” if people can be informed and make informed decisions, but “there may be situations where making a vaccine is needed for overall benefit.” pic.twitter.com/4ucUE1yHLD

-RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 10, 2022

Professor Butler said he understands that there are pros and cons to the issue of mandatory vaccination and that it is being considered and will be considered carefully.

She said it was always desirable for people to be able to make informed decisions on their own, but there could be situations where vaccines need to be “needed for overall benefit.”

When asked about the possibility of a fourth vaccination, Professor Butler said he had to wait for what science and evidence were telling them, “it’s not really abundant” at this point. rice field.

Professor Butler also expressed concern about slowing intake of the Covid-19 booster vaccine.

“It’s a little disappointing to see it, especially in the younger age group, where the infection rate is very high,” she said.

She states: “We have to admit that some of the drop-offs are probably due to these infections, but not all.”

“People have heard that there was an urge before Christmas and now Omicron is probably calm,” Butler said.

She added: “But it’s important to remember. Vaccination isn’t just about Omicron. Vaccination is about the coronavirus and its variants.

“We know that in the weakened age group, taking booster shots can provide greater protection not only for Omicron, but also for potential upcoming things such as Delta and Alpha. . “

She urged anyone who was eligible to receive a booster jab to step forward and take advantage of additional doses.

Meanwhile, the president of the Irish Teachers’ Union is calling for medical grade masks prior to the return of third-level students this week.

Martin Marjoram added that antigen testing and higher quality masks need to be centrally procured to avoid unnecessary delays in on-campus delivery.

He said the early signs were that up to one-third of the staff involved in apprenticeship education could go out this week for Covid-19 and there was no suitable alternative.

He said there was some “slip” among some students who resisted wearing masks before Christmas, which was not allowed to continue the infectivity of the Omicron variant.