17,656 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed this evening.
There has been a total of 5,952 deaths related to COVID-19 notified in Ireland. This includes 40 deaths newly notified in the week since last Wednesday.
As of 8am today, 928 people with Covid 19 were in hospital, of which 94 are in ICU. 60 of today’s cases are at Letterkenny University Hospital.
The Chief Medical Officer,Dr Tony Holohan says the increase in hospitalisations is worrying.
North of the border, 7,133 new coronavirus cases have been reported thias afternoon.
There have been an additional three covid related deaths.
There are 403 patients being treated in hospital for the disease, with 32 in ICU.
Meanwhile, from today, people in NI who get a positive lateral flow test will no longer need a PCR test to confirm that result.
They are being asked to report the positive test immediately.
NI Executive statement –
From today, people in NI who get a positive lateral flow test will no longer need a PCR test to confirm that result. If your lateral flow is positive, you should assume you have COVID-19 and that you are infectious. You should therefore self-isolate immediately for the required period. You won’t need to take a confirmatory PCR test.
It is extremely important that you report your positive lateral flow test. This will trigger contact tracing processes to alert people you have been in close contact with and to provide them with advice regarding their potential to become infected and spread the virus.
If you have a condition that puts you at highest risk from COVID, reporting your lateral flow test will alert your clinical team to your positive result.
Lateral flow results should be reported online at https://www.gov.uk/report-
If you cannot use the online service, you should call 119 (free from mobiles and landlines) to report the result of your lateral flow test.
The removal of the requirement for a confirmatory PCR testing is a temporary measure in response to the very high prevalence of COVID-19 in NI at present. When prevalence of COVID is high, a positive lateral flow test is a reliable indicator of current COVID-19 infection.
With infections at the highest they have been since the start of the pandemic and demand for tests very high, it makes sense to use LFD and PCR tests where they have the most impact in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting the most vulnerable.
If you have a positive COVID-19 test, the earliest you can end your period of self-isolation is on day seven – providing your lateral flow tests on day six and seven are both negative and you do not have a high temperature. Your day six and day seven lateral flow tests should be at least 24 hours apart. If either is positive, you should continue to isolate until you get two negative lateral flow tests taken 24 hours apart, or after you have completed 10 full days of isolation – whichever is earlier.
