Covid: 431 cases confirmed as concerns remain over local surges and variants

ireland
Covid: 431 Cases Confirmed As Concerns Remain Over Local Surges And Variants
There are 22 people with the virus in intensive care units. Photo: Getty Images.
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A further 431 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic on Saturday.

The number of people in hospital has dropped to 58, with 22 people in intensive care units.

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On Friday morning there were 60 Covid-positive patients in hospital, with 23 people in intensive care.

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Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, another 107 confirmed cases of the virus were recorded on Saturday.

No further Covid-19 deaths were recorded by Stormont’s Department of Health in the last 24-hour reporting period.

Data on deaths in the Republic remains unavailable due to a cyberattack on the health service.

Limerick surge

It comes as deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn has appealed to people in Co Limerick to continue to adhere to public health guidelines this weekend.

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The Covid incidence rate in the county remains high, with 879 cases in the past two weeks.

There was controversy in Limerick yesterday after it emerged that a vaccination centre would be temporarily closed to facilitate a horse racing meeting today and on four other dates in June and July.

A Limerick man separately hit out at the organising of the county’s Covid-19 vaccination programme because he was given a vaccine appointment in Dublin and told “there is no vaccine available in Limerick”.

Lockdown on hold

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Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Friday called for a collective effort from political leaders across Ireland and the UK to tackle new strains of the coronavirus.

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Mr Martin said “all hands on deck” are needed to deal with what he called the “dark cloud on the horizon” of the Delta variant of Covid-19, first identified in India.

Outgoing Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster said the Delta variant now makes up around 20 per cent to 25 per cent of new cases in the North, raising concerns that case numbers and hospital admissions could rise in the weeks ahead.

On Saturday, Boris Johnson said the spread of the Delta variant is a matter of “serious, serious concern” as he prepares to put lockdown lifting on hold in England.

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