Number of Covid patients in hospital decreases

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital is at its lowest level in nearly 250 days.

The figure fell to 99 yesterday - after a drop of 28 in the space of 48 hours. 

41 Covid patients are in ICU, but that's 10 more than just over over two weeks ago. 

Dr Eoghan De Barra, a consultant in infectious diseases in Beaumont Hospital, says the virus will remain with us for a long time. 

"I expect that Covid is going to remain an endemic disease, it's going to continue to circulate in Ireland, as in many places around the world.

"The profile of the patient is less clear. There are some individuals in whose the vaccine efficacy is likely to wane, people who have impaired immune systems. There are some people for whom the vaccine won't fully protect them.

"And of course the other big concern is variants of concern."