There were 10,618 new cases of Covid-19 reported by the Department of Health today.
Of these, 4,208 were PCR-confirmed, while 6,410 were positive antigen tests registered through the HSE portal.
There were 624 patients in hospital with the virus as of 8am this morning, of whom 66 are in intensive care.
It comes as new visiting guidelines for nursing homes will allow one support person who has been nominated by a resident, unrestricted visiting access to that resident over the course of a day.
The guidelines, which will come into force on 8 February, have been issued by the Health Service Executive.
They say that a nominated support person will be in addition to and not instead of visitors.
The minimum level of visiting should normally be daily visits by up to two people at one time and that even in a Covid-19 outbreak a minimum level of visiting must be facilitated.
The move has been welcomed by Sage Advocacy and Care Champions. The latter has been calling for a care partner scheme - similar to one implemented in the UK - for some time.
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In Northern Ireland, the Care Partner Scheme allows residents to have a family member (usually two, one to replace the other) who visits and supports their loved one with care, emotional support and connection.
The care partner takes the same precautions as staff and are PCR tested along with staff.
Nursing Homes Ireland has welcomed the revised visitation guidance, calling it a hugely important milestone for residents and broader society as it moves on from Covid-19.
Its CEO has said that while outbreaks are still occurring, the vaccination roll-out has greatly reduced the risk of the severe disease.
Tadhg Daly said the guidelines offer better scope for visits to be facilitated if Covid-positive cases are within a nursing home.
"We have engaged with the HPSC and HSE to support development of the guidelines and contact continues as we monitor the impact of the virus within our nursing homes and broader society," he said.
Last night, Care Champions welcomed the latest HSE guidance, stating on Twitter it was glad an essential nominated person was included in the guidelines, and that it hoped guidance will be adhered to by all homes.
New guidelines effective from 8th Feb. Care Champions have been advocating for a care partner scheme for some time. We are glad that the new guidance has an essential nominated person & hope that guidance will be adhered to by all homes. https://t.co/m1qXo7C1Eb
— Care Champions #SafeguardingLawsNow (@CareChampions2) January 31, 2022
The Executive Director of Sage Advocacy has urged nursing home providers to adhere to the guidance on visiting.
Sarah Lennon said while many nursing homes followed the guidance, Sage was aware that some nursing home providers have at times introduced their own restrictions on visiting and had not adhered to HSE guidance on visiting.
She said: "This has caused significant distress and upset to residents and their loved ones."
Ms Lennon said it was crucially important that "nursing home providers continue to manage the ongoing risk of infection from Covid-19 while protecting and respecting the rights of residents to maintain meaningful relationships with people who are important to them".
Additional reporting Ailbhe Conneely
