“The good news is we are far below that unmitigated scenario”.
The next seven days are vital to see if we can contain the spread of coronavirus, health experts are warning.
2,910 people now have Covid -19 in the Republic of Ireland, 54 of which have lost their lives.
New figures show we are flattening the curve as the daily growth of cases has decreased from 33% to 15%.
However, Professor Phillip Nolan from the Modelling Advisory Group believes we can’t become complacent.
“There was this very strong drive to flatten the curve with a series of escalating public health measures introduced over the last two weeks and, I suppose in one sense, the good news is we are far below that unmitigated scenario,” said Professor Nolan.
In an “unmitigated scenario” Professor Nolan’s team predicted announcing 3,000 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, instead of 295.
“The measures that the State has imposed and that the public have really complied with very, very strongly are having an enormous effect on the number of actual cases that we’re seeing today.”
So far, 84 people have been admitted to the ICU and the majority are in the over 45 age bracket.
While 13% of the critical cases have been aged between 25 and 45, according to the most recent figures.
''The next seven days are crucial to show the country that we're capable of containing the disease.''
''It's my expectation that at then end of this period, towards the 12th of April we'll know we contain it, and then we'll know where to go next''.
