Dr. Kathleen MacLellan:

We have been advised that the level of support and severity is much lower and that a number of these outbreaks are coming to a close. Some outbreaks remain of concern and are receiving ongoing support from the Covid-19 response teams, HIQA and across the HSE. We expect the outbreaks will be closed fairly quickly given the length of time some of them have been open. We have seen a quick and dramatic drop in the number of open outbreaks. It is likely due to the vaccination effect and the reduction in numbers of cases in the community.

The other important point to note is that full effect of the vaccination does not come into play until two weeks after the second dose. It is likely some people who have contracted Covid-19 were at a particular place in the vaccination programme.