Increased social interaction leading to rise in Covid cases - CMO

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 1,914 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, 413 patients are hospitalised, of whom 73 are in ICU.

The five-day moving average is 1,685.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, has advised people to work from home where possible as Ireland moves into the autumn and winter period.

He said that with "vast parts of society open" people are now mixing and interacting on a scale "far greater than at any point in the pandemic to date."

He said this gives viruses such as Covid-19 and the flu a chance to circulate, and people should continue to wash their hands and not meet up with other people if they have any symptoms.

"A key message to people who have been vaccinated is to not disregard all of the other basic measures that we've been talking about for so long now," Dr. Glynn added.

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