The number of COVID patients in intensive care was down six to 84 this morning.
The fall comes despite the continuing high daily case numbers – with a record 23,817 cases announced last night.
A high number of new cases is also expected this evening, with more than half the 38,321 tests carried out in the past 24 hours coming back positive.
20058 positive swabs, 52.34% positivity on 38,321 tests.
7 day test positivity is 50.8%.- Friday, January 7th 2022#COVID19Ireland pic.twitter.com/Ba4qK6krnV
— COVID-19 Data Ireland (@COVID19DataIE) January 7, 2022
The 84 COVID patients in ICU this morning also down two on this day last week.
Meanwhile, the number of patients in hospital was down five to 936 this morning.
Earlier this week, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin noted that, while Ireland was experiencing a surge in Omicron cases, most patients in ICU had the Delta variant.
This morning, there were 353 patients waiting for a bed in Irish hospitals on trolleys or in wards, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
It is the second-lowest figure recorded for the first Friday in January in eight years. The lowest was recorded last year while the country was in post-Christmas lockdown.
- First Friday of 2022: 353
- First Friday of 2021: 172
- First Friday of 2020: 620
- First Friday of 2019: 389
- First Friday of 2018: 483
- First Friday of 2017: 395
- First Friday of 2016: 423*
- First Friday of 2015: 259
*The first Friday of 2016 was New Year’s Day and no figures were recorded. The 423 figure was recorded on the second Friday, Jan 8th.
In a statement, the INMO warned that COVID absences are leaving hospitals short-staffed – with 7.29% of nursing staff currently on COVID-related leave.
It called on the HSE to take “meaningful, long-lasting action to protect our nursing and midwifery workforce”, including curtailing non-emergency activity until the end of January at least and making improvements to air quality in our hospitals.
It comes after NPHET member Dr Mary Favier told Newstalk Breakfast that an easing of restrictions will have to be considered “quite soon”.
