Irish Center for Health Care Monitoring (HPSC) has confirmed about 64-000 Covid 19 cases in the last five days;

The Irish Center for Health Care Monitoring (HPSC) has confirmed about 64-000 Covid 19 cases in the last five days. 

Last Thursday - from St. Patrick's Day - to date, a total of 63,954 Covid 19 cases have been registered between PCR tests and the antigen portal on the HSE website.

Today, more than 4,000 PCR cases have been confirmed, and more than 10,600 people have registered a positive antigen test on the HSE.

Currently, 1,308 people are hospitalized with the virus and 49 are in the ICU. The number of people in the intensive care unit remains stable, with 50 percent of those admitted to Covid hospitals being diagnosed with non-Covid diseases but later diagnosed with the virus, Paul Reid said.

Matter Hospital in Dublin today has about 100 Covid positive patients. The same is true of hospitals in Kerry, Limerick, and Letterkenny. There are currently 300 Covid-19 extensions in nursing homes.

Reid said the shortage of staff in the health service due to Covid-19 has been on the rise for the past two weeks. He said that until the end of last week, 4,200 HSE workers had been laid off due to the virus, and that number had risen to 6,000-7,000 at various stages of the epidemic.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid says it's not uncommon for people to be infected with Covid-19 again. He said: "For people who may have covid in January ... we see the presence of covid again, this time it is not uncommon."

Figures released today include St. Patrick's Day, the new bank holiday of March 18, and this weekend and today. Now HSE no longer releases Covid figures on weekends or bank holidays. Although the severity of the virus is low, it is advisable to wear a mask on public transportation and in congested settings.