DUBLIN: The NPHET warned the government that if the Level 5 restrictions are lifted immediately, there would be a chance of severe risks. The warning came after the Taoiseach pointed out that the 5km rule could be relaxed after April 5 if the number of COVID-19 cases in Ireland were significantly reduced.
The National Public Health Emergency Team says people need to be extra vigilant in the next two months or there could be a fourth wave of infections. Health officials reminded that people would still have to wait to lead a normal life as before.
“I think if we can keep the numbers down…that will give us good options in April. I’ve got to be very careful in terms of what I’m saying beyond April 5th, we will meet the week before the 5th of April to look at the 5km issue, to look at outdoor activities, sports and see what we can do,” Taoiseach Micheál Martin said.
Meanwhile, NPHET say, the “epidemiological position remains very fragile” and it is not clear at this time how and when the restrictions should be relaxed. They added that although vaccines play a crucial role in protecting the public, it is not known at this stage “what level of protection vaccination will give.”
The impact of the COVID variants is also unknown, which means that the virus is likely to persist in the future. “While we have just cause to be hopeful that things will improve over the course of the year, it is simply too early to predict what the future trajectory of the disease will be given all the uncertainties and unknowns in relation to variants and vaccine effectiveness and uptake levels,” the department of health said.
Top doctors in the country also warned that further waves of infections could occur if public health regulations are lifted before case numbers are reduced to a very low level and before the vaccine roll-out progressed well.
35 deaths, 613 new cases
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) confirmed 613 new cases of COVID-19 and 35 more deaths in Ireland.
The death toll from COVID-19 in Ireland is 4,271. The total number of confirmed cases is 217,478.
There are 591 COVID-19 patients in hospital, of which 138 are in ICU.
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