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The spread of the Delta variant is accelerating \u201cmuch quicker\u201d than expected, with Ireland on course for 1,000 daily cases, the HSE has said.<\/p>\nThe spread of the Delta variant is accelerating \u201cmuch quicker\u201d than expected, with Ireland on course for 1,000 daily cases, the HSE has said.<\/p>\n
It comes as T\u00e1naiste Leo Varadkar urged unvaccinated people to treat the pandemic \u201cas seriously as you did at any point\u201d.<\/p>\n
The test and trace service is now \u201cin surge\u201d with more than 20,000 tests being carried out each day, while the positivity rate has soared to as high as 15 per cent in some test centers around the country.<\/p>\n
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said: \u201cCertainly the early indications were that we would reach above 1000 cases per day towards the end of July.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it seems to have accelerated much quicker that we thought it would. We are seeing about 15 per cent positivity on some sites across the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it is spreading. It\u2019s not targeted in just a few sites.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a higher numbers of cases, higher positivity and higher numbers of close contracts, which are accelerating it beyond what might have been predicted.<\/p>\n
Mr Reid said he has \u201creal concern\u201d over the increase in case numbers, and warned if transmission levels get too high it will also impact the vaccinated population.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do know a significant proportion of the population are protected through having been vaccinated.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we have a significant portion of the population who aren\u2019t protected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge for everybody concerned is to make sure that level of sickness don\u2019t get into the community at a level that breaks down this wall of protection for those people who are protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cFor those people who are vaccinated, we know it gives people protection around hospitalization, ICU and mortality.<\/p>\n
\u201cA high level of protection. But it doesn\u2019t give us protection in terms of getting the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it\u2019s at such high levels it can break through into those people who are protected as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Niamh O\u2019Beirne, head of the HSE\u2019s test and tracing operation, said the number of people coming forward for testing had jumped by 25 per cent in a single day.<\/p>\n
She urged people to comply with advice given by the test and trace team.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cWe can say that the test and tracing service is now in surge, exceeding 20,000 tests every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake our tracing calls, it\u2019s really important to take the calls promptly and it\u2019s really important to follow the advice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s much harder at this stage of the pandemic, but the importance of restricting your movements and taking the advice, is really critical to containing the onward spread of the disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the last seven days the positivity rate is 5.9 per cent across community sites, but yesterday it was over 7.8 per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn some sites we do have positivity levels of 15 per cent in different parts of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n