A Clare Government TD says expects further clarity on the likely duration of level five restrictions in the coming days.
It comes after Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs were told last night that the highest level of restrictions will remain in place into next month, on account of the high number of daily cases of Covid-19 across the country.
NPHET has warned the government there could be as many as 1,000 deaths from COVID this month.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan wrote to the Minister for Health last week to say optimistic projections will still see between 800 and 1,600 new cases a day at the end of January.
It comes as the Health Minister has expressed hope that everyone will be vaccinated by September, as Clare Fm’s Fiona Cahill reports.
Micheál Martin last night told his parliamentary party that case numbers remain too high and that because of this, current level five restrictions are set to remain in place into February.
It means most shops and businesses are likely to remain closed for most if not all of another month.
1,949 patients are being treated for the virus in hospital this morning, 141 of them at University Hospital Limerick. While still high, that figure is an improvement on recent days.
There are still a record 18 COVID patients receiving critical care at Dooradoyle, however.
This afternoon in the Dáil, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar also confirmed the restrictions will continue.
NPHET are meeting to consider the current situation, while Cabinet will make a final decision on restrictions on Tuesday.
Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD expects there will be clarity on the duration of the extension to restrictions at that point.
Meelick Deputy Cathal Crowe says we remain in a volatile period and that restrictions can’t be lifted until pressure is eased on intensive care units in hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Health Minister says he plans for everyone in the country to be offered a COVID vaccine by September.
Stephen Donnelly told the Dáil that Ireland is due to get 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the first quarter of the year.
EU leaders will meet by video conference later to discuss a target of vaccinating 70 per cent of people by the summer and Minister Donnelly says they’re looking to get access to more doses of vaccine as soon as possible.
