The Government looks set to extend Level 5 Covid restrictions into February after Ireland reported a record daily high in confirmed coronavirus deaths.
Ministers will review the country's restrictions, due to expire on January 31st, next week, but Cabinet sources say they will be extended.
While there is no clarity on exactly when restrictions would be lifted, sources told The Irish Examiner it could be a “number of weeks”.
A further 93 coronavirus deaths were confirmed on Tuesday, the highest number of daily deaths since the pandemic began, exceeding a peak of 77 during the first wave last year.
The daily death toll published by the National Public Health Emergency Team can include fatalities that took place weeks ago but were just confirmed to authorities on the day in question.
The high death rate follows a sharp increase in infections in the first 10 days of the year following a relaxation of public-health measures over the Christmas season.
An additional 2,001 new cases of the virus were also reported by the Department of Health.
In the South East, Waterford has 102 new cases, Wexford has 68, Tipperary 46, Carlow 25 and Kilkenny has 20 new cases of Coronavirus.
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said the country cannot afford to drop its guard against the very high levels of infection that remain in the community.
Dr Holohan said: “Covid-19 ICU and hospitalisation numbers are of critical concern to us, representing a very significant pressure on our healthcare workers and on the provision of acute medical and surgical non-Covid care.
“We need everyone to stay at home, other than for essential reasons.”
AstraZeneca vaccine
Meanwhile, the European Commission has said that Covid-19 vaccines cannot be delivered before they get regulatory approval, denting Ireland’s hopes of securing early supplies of the AstraZeneca shot.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said last weekend that discussions were under way on securing early deliveries of the vaccine to enable it to be rolled out immediately following regulatory approval.
Asked about the early rollout of the AstraZeneca jab on RTÉ on Tuesday night, Mr Donnelly said that it was an “ambitious ask” to get the supplies in early, and that it would have to be agreed with both the company and the European Commission as “it would have to be done on an EU basis”.
The Irish Times reports that Ministers were told during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that AstraZeneca has advised the HSE that deliveries of the vaccine can be expected by mid-February, but that firm delivery timetables have not yet been finalised.
