HSE CEO, Paul Reid has said the latest data shows five "very positive signs" that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has peaked in Ireland.
The 7-day positivity rate that was in the low 50s last week now stands at 45.2% after 6,283 positive swabs were reported out of 17,048 taken.
There are five areas where the HSE and other governmental bodies see positive signs that the worst of Omicron is behind us.
They are a stable hospital admission rate that does appear to be decreasing every few days. 30 people were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours, with 56 admitted.
The severity of the illness is not the same as either the Delta and Alpha waves, previously. This is shown in the ICU figures which have hovered in the 80s-90s since Omicron first appeared.
ICU numbers currently stand at 97.
The other positive signs that the HSE are seeing include:
- A drop in community test positive percentages
- A drop in the number of people being referred by their GP
- An increase in the number of available PCR test slots across the country.
Speaking on Morning Ireland this morning, Professor of Immunology at Maynooth University, Professor Paul Moynagh said Omicron case numbers seem to have peaked.
"If you look at these waves they tend to be symmetrical, we don't really know why," Professor Moynagh said.
"So with Omicron, the incline was very, very steep, so we probably expect the decline to be something similar and reflect that steep incline."
