The reproductive rate of covid-19 here has dropped to between 0.7 and 0.9.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has told the Oireachtas Health Committee it shows level 5 restrictions are working.
The get control of covid-19 and suppress it, the reproductive rate needs to fall below one.
Last week the R number was 1, but Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said the nation's efforts have led to a further drop.
He's told the committee that Ireland's early move to level 5 has led to us bucking the trends seen in other European countries.
However, he's said the 11 thousand cases reported over the past 2 weeks are seriously worrying, and Dublin North and Dublin south west are of particular concern.
51 nursing homes are currently dealing with Covid outbreaks.
Mary Butler TD. Minister of State with responsibility for Older People outlines one such nursing home:
In terms of the flu vaccine, Minister Donnelly estimates that around 950,000 doses have been administered to adults.
