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A further eight deaths relating to Covid-19 have been reported in the State, according to the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet).
This brings the total number of deaths in the State from the virus to 4,713.
A further 591 cases of the disease were also reported, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 237,187.
Earlier on Friday,the public were urged to stick with the Covid-19 restrictions over Easter with “much brighter days ahead” because of vaccination.
The call has come from the deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn and the chief medical officer for Northern Ireland Dr Michael McBride.
They issued a joint statement in the run-up to the Easter bank holiday weekend warning that Covid-19 remains a “ very dangerous, very transmissible virus, circulating in our communities that continues to spread and cause serious illness and, sadly, death.
“Most people are making a huge sacrifice and missing time with loved ones in order for us to stay on course with the public health guidance.
“We must ask that, once again, we work together to prevent a further wave of infection by celebrating this Easter safely. Please continue to stick with the public heath advice. Do not give this virus the opportunities it is seeking to spread.”
The numbers of patients in hospitals with Covid-19 fell over from 274 to 264 while the number in ICU was down by two from 63 to 61.
It is the lowest number in hospital since Christmas Day and down 91 per cent from the peak in January.
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said it was “continued progress”, but he warned that the hospitalisations were too “high a base” to relax restrictions.
Spare vaccines
The University of Limerick Hospitals Group has confirmed that spare vaccines were administered to gardaí.
About 100 gardaí based in Clare and Limerick have been given their first Covid-19 vaccines this week, even though members of the force are not prioritised for the jabs.
These vaccines were administered at the start of this week, before the government’s announcement that gardaí and others would not be prioritised on the basis of occupation.
The vaccinations were administered at the Limerick vaccination centre, which is run by the UL Hospitals Group.
It insists the vaccines were offered to gardaí in line with national guidance.
In response a spokesman for An Garda Síochána said vaccinations are a matter for the HSE.
Antigen testing
Kingston Mills, Professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, has said that rapid antigen testing will add an extra layer of protection in the fight against Covid-19.
While there were valid concerns about the false sense of security such testing sometimes generated, if rapid tests were carried out two to three times a week it could be very effective as it would pick up the presence of the virus during the peak of infection, he explained.
Rapid antigen testing could be used in schools, universities, workplaces and at sporting and cultural events, he told RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland programme.
The system was already being used in meat plants in Ireland and in other countries. “It is not being used as widely as it could be in Ireland,” Prof Kingston suggested.
People could have a negative rapid test result, but still be incubating the virus which was why they should be tested two to three times a week, he said.
Mandatory hotel quarantine
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly met Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney on Thursday to discuss a recommendation that 43 countries and states be added to the list of “high-risk” areas that necessitate a quarantine period on arrival in Ireland to prevent the possible spread of Covid-19 variants.
Sources said there was significant pushback from Mr Coveney, who raised concerns over capacity in the hotel system for an influx of passengers as well as legal concerns over adding other EU countries to the list. The meeting was described by one source as “frosty”.
Mr Coveney said the State should not move ahead with including countries with a large number of Irish citizens living in them.
While it was agreed that 26 non-EU countries and states would be added to the high-risk schedule, sources said Mr Donnelly still supported adding countries of concern regardless of their location and would push for this in the coming days.
People arriving from the 26 countries – which include Israel, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria and Serbia – will have to book a space in the hotel quarantine system if they intend to arrive after 4am on April 6th.
Prof Mills said that a period of isolation for new arrivals was a good thing and that under the previous system people were not doing that and it had been difficult to enforce.
The biggest threat to the country is the South African and Brazilian variants so it is important to keep them out.
Putting France and Germany on the list of countries for whom arrivals would have to go to mandatory hotel quarantine is “sensible” he said given the significant levels of the South African variant in those countries.
Duplication of vaccines
The Chairman of the GP committee of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr Denis McCauley has said that as GPs become more involved in the rollout of the vaccine the system will become more efficient as their surgeries are computerised.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Dr McCauley believed “no shows” at a Dublin vaccination centre on Thursday were due to duplication as some healthcare workers could work in four different departments and so would have received four texts about getting the vaccine.
The problem was with the IT system in HSE-run clinics, he added. “It’s the IT systems with people on numerous lists.”
Moving to an age-based system where a date of birth will be the deciding factor will make matters easier, he said.
As a practitioner based close to the Border, he said he had seen the “emotional change” in Northern Ireland as the vaccine was rolled out. “The body language there is much more of hope.” He said he hoped to see more optimism in the Republic.