We’re making slow progress.

But any break from lockdown measures now could be disastrous for Ireland’s battle against Covid-19, according to the Chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group Professor Philip Nolan.

Another 592 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the past 24 hours, 20 of them in Cork, with 10 additional deaths from the virus.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland this morning, Professor Nolan said it is too early to relax any of the Level 5 public health measures.

“We’ve made this extraordinary progress, but we need to focus on the fact that the prevalence of the disease and the impact of the disease remains very high,” said Professor Nolan.

“We’re making progress but we’re in a very precarious position. We’re also at this delicate point where we’re beginning to attempt to reopen our priorities…non-urgent healthcare and schooling.

“This is not the time to relax in any way around public health measures.

“This is the time to only leave your home if it’s for essential activities. This is not the time to have mixing between households. It’s not the time to be going back to the workplace if it’s not essential that you do so.”

Covid-19: One year on

Yesterday marked one year since Ireland’s first death related to Covid-19 was reported. More than 4,500 people have lost their lives to the disease.

“We now have three vaccines and a fourth authorised by the European Medicines Agency today, which offers us a way out of this pandemic,” said Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health.

“We must continue to protect as many people as possible from the severe effects of Covid-19 and to give people a chance to become vaccinated over the next number of weeks and months.

“Your efforts to limit contacts and follow the public health advice is not in vain, it is to protect people and it directly saves lives.”