Covid cases to increase this week but public urged not to be “disheartened or distracted”

The public has been urged not the be “disheartened or distracted” by an increase in Covid-19 cases over the coming week as testing of asymptomatic close contacts resumes.

The testing of close contacts of positive Covid-19 cases was suspended at the end of December as the test and trace system became overwhelmed. Testing was expected to resume on Friday, January 29 and the public has been warned that we should anticipate increased case numbers over the coming week as a result.

Professor Philip Nolan of NPHET posted today to say that ‘test positivity is below 10%. Now that testing of asymptomatic close contacts has resumed, we may see an increase in case numbers in the coming week. Don’t be disheartened or distracted by this, if we keep doing what we have been doing they’ll start to fall again.’

Test positivity is below 10%. Now that testing of asymptomatic close contacts has resumed, we may see an increase in case numbers in the coming week. Don’t be disheartened or distracted by this, if we keep doing what we have been doing they’ll start to fall again. 4/10 pic.twitter.com/Eedeww1haV

— Professor Philip Nolan (@PhilipNolan_SFI) January 31, 2021

In a wide-ranging Twitter thread, Professor Nolan also said that ‘We have made extraordinary progress over the month of January, but let’s  hold firm. We still have weeks to go to suppress the virus and get the level of infection and case numbers as low as possible. We’ve shown we can do it; let’s keep it up.’ 

Other snippets shared by Nolan include ‘the number in hospital has fallen significantly, the number in ICU has plateaued’ and ‘incidence in those aged 65 and older, and especially those aged 85 and older, is worryingly high, but is now decreasing.’ You can read his full thread via this link.

This weekend, it has emerged that more cases of Covid-19 were reported in January 2021 then in the whole of 2020.

(header pic: Shutterstock)

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