Dublin: Ireland’s Covid-19 daily cases have surged to a record high since January, according to data released by the Irish Department of Health on Thursday.
The department said in a statement that 2,605 new cases were reported in the day. As of Thursday morning, 487 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized, and 99 were receiving treatment in intensive care units (ICU), Xinhua news agency reported.
On Wednesday, the department said 67 people in the country had died from or with Covid-19 in the past seven days, bringing the total number of such deaths in Ireland to 5,436.
Ireland has further eased its Covid-19 restrictions recently, with capacity limits on all outdoor events being lifted last Friday. It also removed the limit on the number of people allowed to attend weddings and religious ceremonies, and nightclubs opened for the first time in nearly 20 months.
The few restrictions that remain in place include the requirement to hold a Covid-19 pass to enter restaurants, bars and nightclubs, mandatory wearing of face masks in healthcare and indoor retail settings and on public transport, and maintenance of social distancing in crowded places.
Irish public health officials have expressed deep concerns about the pressure on the country’s healthcare system from the soaring numbers of Covid-19 cases. According to the Irish state agency the Health Service Executive, there are only 206 ICU beds in government-run hospitals.
They warned that if the number of Covid-19 ICU admissions keeps rising with the winter flu season, there could be no ICU beds available both for COVID-19 patients and others.
