There has been a 41% increase in demand for Covid testing in the last week alone.
Ahead of an imminent announcement to be made by the government regarding an
increase in Level 5 restrictions nationwide, the head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has called for people in Ireland to cancel any and all upcoming plans, in light of what is
being described as 'much of our worst concerns now materialised'.
Speaking at a HSE briefing this afternoon, Chief Executive Paul Reid had the following to say:
"I do make today, on behalf of the HSE, a very urgent and serious call to the public. The situation right now is very alarming, and it is high risk. We are all extremely high risk in many parts of the country, indeed in all of the country, becoming infected with the Covid virus.
"The transmissions levels are at quite a worrying level, we're seeing across the community. So I do call on everybody to really take immediate actions, regardless of what decisions are made later today by government.
"We need everybody to take immediate reactions. Withdraw from any planned arrangements or activities we all may have had with family, whether for the New Year [celebrations] or elsewhere. And really do protect yourself, the safest place is in your home, with your own family.
"But certainly, the rising community transmission levels, for us, we need to get back under a level of control, and again, the concern is that the impact will mean we will lose health care staff at a time when we need them the most."
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