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DUBLIN: Three cases of the Brazilian variant of Covid-19 have been detected in Ireland for the first time, the Department of Health said.
All of them are directly associated with recent trips from the South American country, authorities said. They are monitored by public health teams and reinforced measures have been put in place.
Ireland’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said: “Anyone who has recently traveled from Brazil, or any of the 19 other countries recently designated by the Minister of Health as Category 2, is required by law to quarantine her home for 14 days. . “
The Brazilian variant could be much more contagious or easier to catch than the original version of the coronavirus. It has undergone changes in its spike protein – the part of the virus that attaches to human cells. He first appeared in July.
Dr Glynn added: “This P1 variant has already been identified in a small number of European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
“Although there is currently no microbiological or epidemiological evidence of a change in the transmissibility of P1, this is plausible. Further studies are needed to determine if this variant is likely to have an impact on the effectiveness of the vaccine or the severity of the infection. About 90 percent of Covid-19 cases in Ireland are associated with the UK variant.
The number of new infections and the pressure on hospitals eased, and the death toll began to decline after weeks of difficult restrictions. The emergence of new variants of the coronavirus introduces significant uncertainty in predicting when society can return to normalcy, public health experts have said.
The Republic recently passed the grim milestone of 4,000 deaths from the disease in the latest wave of
mortality. Taoiseach Micheal Martin has warned that strict restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the disease could remain in place until April. Schools and daycares will gradually reopen next month after health experts gave the government the green light to begin easing weeks of strict lockdowns.
Next week, ministers are expected to update their Living with Covid plan.
Ireland has also stepped up its vaccination program.
80,000 additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered this week, and 100,000 additional doses are expected next week.
28 more people have died from Covid-19, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday. 763 other infections have been confirmed. A total of 151 people were in hospital intensive care units on Friday morning.
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