A public health expert says it is likely there is a trend of a very steady number of Covid cases or slow decline.DCU Professor of Health Systems Anthony Staines is hopeful we can avoid another spike in infections like that seen at Christmas.It comes as 420 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed along with four more deaths.
The five-day moving average of new cases now stands at 386.
People aged between 65 and 69 will receive appointments for their first AstraZeneca vaccine from tomorrow.
The HSE aims to have 60 to 69-year-olds vaccinated with the first dose by the end of May.
Professor Staines said changing the vaccine priority list to prioritise younger age cohorts would just confuse people and add to feelings of irritation.
He also warned against widening the gap between doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
“My own feeling is that we are starting to see a significant number of people being infected after their first dose in other countries,” said Prof Staines.
“It is clear that you can be infected after your first dose. The risk of infection is much lower.”
This weekend, HSE chief Paul almost 1.2 million doses of Covid vaccine have been administered with 22% of the eligible population having received a first dose.
The latest data shows over 34,500 doses administered on Thursday.
Statistics show that 814,470 people have received their first dose, while 341,129 people have received their second dose and are fully vaccinated.