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COVID-19: 7,724 further cases reported in Ireland

There are 610 patients hospitalised with the virus - of whom 55 are in ICU
Jack Quann
Jack Quann

16.46 24 Feb 2022


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COVID-19: 7,724 further cases...

COVID-19: 7,724 further cases reported in Ireland

Jack Quann
Jack Quann

16.46 24 Feb 2022


Share this article


There have been a further 3,763 PCR-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

Latest figures also show that 3,961 people registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal on Wednesday.

That brings Thursday's case total to 7,724.

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On that basis, the five-day moving average of cases stands at 7,565.

While as of 8.00am, there were 610 patients hospitalised with the virus - of whom 55 were in ICU.

It comes as a subvariant of Omicron - BA.2 - has been spreading rapidly across many countries in recent weeks.

It accounted for an estimated 40% of cases here as of last week.

But Professor Luke O'Neill says early indications are that vaccines should still offer protection against it.

He earlier told The Pat Kenny Show: "It's quite different [to Omicron]... there was a slight concern that maybe it would have changed enough to make it more dangerous.

"So far what they've found - thankfully - in Denmark, the UK and South Africa [is that it's] causing the same level of disease as Omicron.

"But they're watching closely. Certainly in unvaccinated people it would be a concern - maybe it would cause more severe disease, for example.

"It's also more transmissible than Omicron… and Omicron itself was already highly transmissible."

Main image: The Intensive Care Unit of the North Hospital in Marseille, France is seen in December 2021. Picture by: Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo

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Ba.2 Covid Covid-19 Covid Cases HSE Portal ICU Luke O'Neill Omicron BA.2 Positive Antigen Test

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