Warning issued as COVID soars 60% to 1,000 cases in Ireland in one week 

Covid infections have spiked, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases last week – a 60% rise on the previous week.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) also said there were 486 hospitalisations from the virus in the last week, up 56% on the previous week.

The centre described the level of Covid19 circulating in Ireland as ‘moderate to high’. It said there were 1,049 confirmed Covid cases in the week to last Saturday, compared with 650 cases reported the previous week.

Three deaths linked to the disease were reported in the past week, but there were no intensive care admissions.

The HPSC said the figures only reflected cases where doctors recommended patients to be tested, as the HSE service to allow people to book PCR screening or antigen kits ended in spring last year.

The JN.1 Covid variant is currently the predominant variant in the country and around the world.

But it is not designated a variant of concern, and there is no evidence that it is linked to more severe disease. Increased circulation of Covid-19 in the community has also resulted in more outbreaks of the virus in nursing homes, hospitals and healthcare settings.

The number of outbreaks in the last week was 62, up on the 48 reported the previous week. People who test positive for Covid are being warned to isolate for five days, and to steer clear of elderly and vulnerable relatives.

Farranfore GP Eamonn Shanahan told Radio Kerry he had noted a spike and said anyone with respiratory symptoms should do an antigen test before arriving at their GP surgery.

Dr Shanahan said it was likely there would be more vaccines available in the autumn against the latest strains of Covid, but in the meantime, outbreaks in communities could be expected.

‘You are seeing clusters of outbreaks. I stress that it is not the horrendous illness you saw a couple of years ago, because the level of immunity in the community generally is much better than it was, and the vaccinations are helping, there’s no doubt about that,’ he said.

Denis Naughten, Independent TD for Roscommon-Galway, said the spike was a ‘worrying indication’ of more debilitating long-Covid cases to come.