The HSE director of public health for Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim is appealing for people to think carefully about the number of others they see in the run-up to Christmas Day.
Dr Anthony Breslin says that as we approach Christmas, it’s more important than ever that we all limit the number of contacts we have with others.
In an appeal issued this afternoon, Dr. Breslin says the latest national data published last night highlights that the number of cases is increasing more rapidly than had been anticipated.
He says this increase in cases is particularly worrying in the context of inter-generational mixing over the Christmas period.
Dr Breslin says the 7-day incidence rate for people aged 19-44 is more than double since 11th December .
And he says there is real concern that if these younger people come into contact with their loved ones over the age of 65, we could see an increase in infections in this more vulnerable group, with a subsequent increase in the number of patients requiring hospitalisation.
He says the more risks people take — and the more people they meet — can have a really significant impact on the spread of COVID 19.
Dr Breslin emphasises that this is particularly important if people have been socialising in the past few weeks or over this weekend, and plan to meet family over 65 later this week.
