Government Ministers are set to be briefed on the rise in coronavirus Delta variant cases in Ireland after it emerged that the strain now accounts for 20 per cent of infections in the State .It comes as an additional 284 Covid cases were confirmed in the Republic yesterday, according to the Department of Health. As of midnight on Sunday there were 53 people in hospital with the disease, of whom 13 are in intensive care units.
Dr Holohan said “a number of outbreaks” reported this week were associated with the Delta variant.“This is similar to a pattern being seen in a number of other EU member states,” he added. Dr Holohan said “It is really important that people who are not fully vaccinated continue to follow all public health advice. “This includes people who are waiting for their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The first dose of AstraZeneca is just 33 per cent protective against the Delta variant while the second dose is over 80 per cent protective. The chief medical officers in Ireland and Northern Ireland, Dr Holohan and Sir Michael McBride, have highlighted their ‘growing concern’ at the Delta variant of Covid-19.
Following a meeting this at the weekend, the chief medical officers reminded people who are intending to travel across the Border over the coming days to be alert to the epidemiological situation in the relevant local areas and to ensure that “they avoid activities which could place them or their families at risk of Covid-19 infection”
