Thousands more cases reported

Sligo News File

New infections of Covid are alarming medical experts. Health authorities have reported some 4,667 cases of the disease in the last 24 hours.

With more than 500 people hospitalised, 110 of them in intensive care, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan is said to be very concerned about the ongoing volume of outbreaks.

Despite the opposition to restrictions, the indications are that further government curtailment of activities is likely to follow in the period ahead.

In the UK, the government has raised the Covid alert to level four owing to the high transmission rate of the Omicron variant of the disease and the growing pressure on its health service. 

Cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in Ireland.