Ireland today confirmed: 5649
Cumulative confirmed cases in Ireland:—
Ireland Dies Today:—
Cumulative deaths in Ireland: 6291
Today's outbreak data
The Ministry of Health reported today that there were another 5,649 positive cases of COVID-19 in Ireland today. At the same time, there were 5387 antigen-positive cases. As of 8 a.m. today, there were 595 hospitalized cases, 63 of them in intensive care.
Ireland's €400 million package: household and fuel benefits will increase!
The Irish government will announce concrete measures to address the impact of rising costs of living on households, which is expected to cost more than €400 million.
According to senior Irish government sources, the only measure that is generally supported at the moment is to increase the household electricity subsidy to 227 euros, which can be applied to all household electricity bills in March. No final decision has yet been made, but doubling the subsidy to €227 is the maximum the government can do.
Other measures discussed today include more targeted subsidies for low-income households, including WFP (Working Family Payment). A plan to increase the WFP in advance is currently being considered, which provides weekly tax-free payments to low-wage parents, and according to the plan announced in the budget, the WFP will take effect in June.
In addition to these measures, there are also proposals to pay €200 in cash to people with an annual income of no more than €30,000 and €100 to those earning from that threshold of €60,000; and to require the Irish government to cancel the new fuel carbon tax, which will take effect on 1 May next year.
PCR testing in Ireland may be available to all populations,
The rules for wearing masks will not change!
HSE Ireland said the rules on wearing masks would not change in the near future. Ireland's National Public Health Emergency Response Team (NPHET) will meet on 17 February to discuss mask-related regulations, as well as other recommendations related to restrictions on movement and self-isolation. The current rule for wearing masks remains in place until February 28.
Meanwhile, the Irish government is reviewing its policy on PCR testing, and it is expected that pcr testing systems can be reopened to all age groups. Previously, due to the widespread spread of the Omilon variant, the Irish PCR detection system was overwhelmed, so it required people aged 4 to 39 to first undergo antigen testing and then report their results through the HSE portal.
Currently, other countries around Ireland are already proposing to cancel or have already cancelled PCR testing. In Sweden, large-scale COVID-19 testing has been halted. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said he would remove all remaining covid-19 restrictions, including legal requirements for self-isolation, within weeks.
The number of patients in emergency departments in Ireland is at a new high!
According to HSE data, the number of people who visited an emergency department in Ireland last week hit a new high. The head of the HSE said he hoped the peak would be short-lived and temporary. For now, this surge could lead to the temporary cancellation of some unhurried surgeries.
Thankfully, the surge wasn't caused by the flu, it was just people who were normally sick coming to the emergency department for treatment. Last week, 27,904 patients went to the emergency department, of whom 6,909 were admitted, and more than 3,700 were over the age of 75. It can be seen that the elderly population is very large in the emergency department.
Their condition is relatively more severe and their bodies are weaker. They need to stay longer after being admitted to the hospital. As more and more elderly people visit hospitals, the COVID-19 outbreak in nursing homes has hampered their discharge, making the current situation worse. There are currently more than 260 COVID-19 cases in Ireland that have erupted in nursing homes.