Despite Ireland remaining under Level 5 lockdown and over 10% of the population having received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, there has been a worrying rise in new cases of the deadly virus here in recent days.
Health officials have expressed concern about case numbers remaining at about 500 to 600 per day for the last few weeks, with the daily Covid figures no longer reducing at the rates they have in previous weeks. Meanwhile, Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry said the trend they are seeing is a "definite stagnation" and the 14-day incidence rate has also stagnated.
The combination of St Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day and the recent spell of good weather is said to have played a large part in the recent surge in new cases of the virus here. It is also believed that some people may have deferred seeking a referral for a Covid test until after St Patrick's Day, leading to higher cases being confirmed this weekend.
This means that a higher number of close contacts are becoming infected than would have been before this variant took hold.