COVID-19 transmission continues at moderate to high levels in Ireland
Indicators continue to show moderate to high levels of COVID-19 transmission in Ireland.
In week 25 (June 16-22, 2024):
- There were 1,042 confirmed cases of COVID-19 notified to the Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting system (CIDR), an increase of 60% compared to week 24 (June 9-15, 2024), during which 650 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported.
- The number of hospitalised cases increased by 56% during week 25. There were 486 hospitalisations reported, compared to 321 during the preceding week.
- There were 459 hospital inpatients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the morning of 25 June, compared to 395 patients at the same date and time of the preceding week (18 June).
- ICU admissions resulting from COVID-19 infection remained low and stable during week 25.
- Outbreaks notifications from healthcare settings increased by 14 to a total of 62 during week 25, compared to 48 outbreaks reported during Week 24 2024. There were 22 acute hospital, 22 nursing home, 2 community hospital/long-stay unit, 2 other healthcare setting and 14 residential institution COVID-19 outbreaks notified during week 25.
The COVID-19 variant JN.1 remains the dominant lineage in Ireland. The KP.3 variant, a sublineage of JN.1, is increasing in Ireland. It accounted for 21.8% of sequences for weeks 19 to 23 2024. This compares to 1.6% for weeks 14 to 18 2024. While KP.3 appears to have a growth advantage over other variants, there is no evidence that it (or any other currently circulating lineage) is associated with more severe disease.
As in previous waves, widespread circulation of COVID-19 often leads to an increase in people experiencing severe disease. Increased circulation in the community also leads to increased numbers of outbreaks in nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare settings, putting vulnerable patients at risk of infection and leading to COVID-19-related healthcare staff shortages.
This current wave is a reminder that COVID-19 continues to circulate throughout the year and remains a considerable burden on the population and our health services when circulation is high.
It is important to remain vigilant for COVID-19 symptoms and take steps to prevent spread in both the community and in healthcare settings, to protect vulnerable people at high risk of severe COVID-19 disease.
For advice on preventing the spread of COVID-19 and what to do if you have symptoms, go to: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/preventing-the-spread/. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, even mild ones, stay at home until 48 hours after your symptoms are mostly or fully gone. You should also avoid contact with other people, especially people at higher risk of severe COVID-19.
Guidance on infection prevention and control in health care settings is available at: https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidance/guidanceforhealthcareworkers/
Information on COVID-19 trends is updated every Wednesday on the Respiratory Virus Notification Data Hub.