[ad_1]
DUBLIN, Ireland November 21 (Xinhua) – Ireland reported 344 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the country’s case number to 70,143, according to the Irish Department of Health.
Four more people have died from COVID-19, bringing the country’s death toll to 2,022, the department said in a statement.
According to the department, there are currently 269 COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals across the country, including 32 in intensive care units.
Earlier this week, Tony Holohan, medical director of the Department of Health, said he was increasingly concerned that the positive trends that emerged recently were not being maintained.
According to Holohan, the five-day moving average of daily cases in Ireland had increased from an average of 350 cases on 11 November to 424 on 17 November.
Since then, there has been no noticeable improvement in the situation with daily cases in the country still averaging nearly 370 over the past five days, according to official statistics.
The Irish government is continuing discussions over the weekend about which COVID-19 restrictions should be in place when the current level 5 or higher level restrictions expire later this month, the national radio and television broadcaster reported. Irish RTE.
The report cites government sources claiming that Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin wants the country to come out of level 5 restrictions on 1 December.
But no decision has been made although there is a growing expectation that the country will move to level 3 restrictions next month, the report said.
Ireland switched to level 5 restrictions at midnight on 21 October following the outbreak of the second wave of pandemic in the country.
Under level 5 restrictions, the entire country is virtually locked down with minimal movement of people and business activities allowed.
.
[ad_2]
Source link
