The Chief Medical Officer has asked people to cut down their contacts and avoid crowds as we enter Christmas week.

The Chief Medical Officer has asked people to cut down their contacts and avoid crowds as we enter Christmas week.
Yesterday, 527 new cases of Covid-19 were reported, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 78,776.
The Department of Health was also notified of five further coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the overall death toll to 2,154.
Dr Tony Holohan said all key indicators of the disease severity gave rise to persistent, ongoing concern.
In a statement, he said Ireland was heading into a week with uniquely risky inter household and intergenerational mixing and he appealed to people across the country to act responsibly. 
Dr Holohan said it is never too late to cut down on contacts, cancel plans or avoid a crowd. 
Yesterday’s figures saw 191 new cases of Covid-19 in Dublin, 54 in Cork, 44 in Donegal, 32 in Wexford and 27 in Kilkenny, with the remaining cases spread across 20 other counties. 
There were 212 patients with Covid-19 in Irish hospitals as of 8pm last night, according to the latest figures from the HSE – up ten on the previous 24 hours.
The bulk of these patients were in Beaumont Hospital (38), Letterkenny (26) and Kilkenny (22).
There were also 114 suspected cases in hospitals, of which the most (22) were at St James’s Hospital.
Twenty-nine confirmed Covid-19 patients were being treated in intensive care, of which 18 were on ventilators.
The bulk of patients in intensive care are in Dublin – with four in Tallaght, three in Beaumont, and three in the Mater.
As of last night, there were also 27 critical care beds available.
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