Galway Bay fm newsroom - The HSE Director of Public Health in the West has issued a public appeal on Covid-19 as we head towards Christmas Day.
Dr. Breda Smyth says it's time for people to think very carefully about who they see in the run up to December 25th.
Dr Smyth says as we approach Christmas, it's vital that we limit the number of interactions we have with others.
She says we have learned from Thanksgiving in the US, and a similar holiday in the Netherlands, that one day of mixing with older loved ones has led to increased hospitalisations and deaths in those countries.
She adds the only way to prevent this is by reducing our contacts in the week before Christmas Day to ensure we are not carrying Covid-19.
Dr. Smyth has made the appeal against the backdrop of a more rapid increase in cases nationwide than had been anticipated.
She's drawn attention to the 7-day incidence rate for people aged 19 to 44 which has more than doubled from 106 to 217 per 100 thousand people.
Dr Smyth says if you take a risk today, tomorrow, or over the next few days - you are putting everyone you see over the Christmas at risk.
The appeal comes as 727 new cases were confirmed last night, including 15 new cases in Galway - with health experts warning we're now in a third wave of the virus.
