One in four people who have been admitted to critical care in hospital with Covid-19 have died, according to the chief medical officer (CMO).
On Monday evening, Dr Tony Holohan urged the public to cut social contacts and follow public health advice in response to growing rates of infection over the past number of weeks.
Dr Holohan said incidence of the virus continues to rise, as the Department of Health reported "a concerning number of confirmed cases", but he added the country can "change the trajectory of this disease by breaking the chains of transmission".
On Monday, 5,634 new cases were confirmed, while there were 684 people in hospital with the virus (126 in ICU) at 8am.
This information is not easy to hear, but it is an important reminder of the serious risk that #COVID19 continues to pose to all of us.
— Dr Tony Holohan (@CMOIreland) November 22, 2021
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The CMO reiterated that every 1,000 cases of the virus will lead to between 20-25 people requiring hospitalisation, of whom 2-3 will require critical care in ICU. "We also know that, since June of this year, 1 in 4 people who had Coivd-19 and required critical care in our hospitals have sadly passed away," he tweeted.
"This information is not easy to hear, but it is an important reminder of the serious risk that Covid-19 continues to pose to all of us," he added.
However, the worsening outlook of the virus seems to have caused people to rethink their behaviours, as Dr Holohan cited positive changes in the latest set of surveys from Amárach.
According to the data, 57 per cent of people said they are reducing the number of people they plan to meet between now and Christmas, while 45 per cent said they have cancelled plans.
"...The data above shows that people are making a concerted effort to reduce their risk," Dr Holohan said. "If we can keep this going, it will have a positive impact on disease transmission."
The CMO once again called for anyone who experiences any cold or flu-like symptoms to isolate immediately and "get a PCR test, not an antigen test".
