As second boosters are being rolled out here, the study shows the longest-suffering Covid-19 patient had the virus for 505 days before dying

A new study has found a Covid-19 patient suffered with the virus for 505 days https://www.independent.ie/ – the longest known time a person has had the disease.

The patient, https://www.independent.ie/who eventually died from the disease, is the longest-known case to be confirmed by a PCR test, and he surpassed the previous infection record of 335 days.

The case was uncovered in a study led by a team from King’s College London, https://www.independent.ie/, at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Lisbon.

The infection https://www.independent.ie/ was detected in an immunocompromised patient and the study of nine people https://www.independent.ie/ with very https://www.independent.ie/compromised immune systems emphasized , as they can be a source for the development of variants.

It comes as immunocompromised people over the age of 12 in this country – like https://www.independent.ie/ as well as anyone over 65 – are to be offered a second booster shot here HSE from today.

People can book an appointment at an HSE center online or check https://www.independent.ie/ with GPs and pharmacies.

dr HSE Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry said: “People recommended for this second booster shot are those most at risk of serious illness from Covid-19.”

For people aged 65 and over, the interval between the first and second booster vaccination is at least four months.

Similarly for boosted people https://www.independent.ie/who catch Covid-19.

Tadhg Daly of Nursing Homes Ireland said nursing home residents https://www.independent.ie/ would receive the second booster shot from Monday. Although the signs here suggest the current https://www.independent.ie/wave is https://www.independent.ie/waning, there are still concerns about the risk of another Covid-19 variant.

Of particular concern is the emergence of another Omicron offshoot, BA.2.12.1 , https://www.independent.ie/, driving infections in parts of the US and has also been found in bags in the UK.

While BA.2 is dominant in Ireland, version BA.2.12.1 is thought to have a growth advantage of up to 27 percent over it, making it easier to catch.

There’s no evidence it’s more serious or can lead to serious illness, but if it catches on and causes more infections, it could potentially cause further disruption in hospitals and https://www.independent.ie/workplaces.

It has also been sighted in Israel, Denmark and Austria.

Scientists say it’s too early to say if BA.2.12.1 https://www.independent.ie/ will launch in Europe.

On the plus side, immunity is now high in Ireland due to the recent level of infection and wide vaccination coverage

Overall, the Covid-19 picture in Ireland remains optimistic.

There https://www.independent.ie/ there were 654 Covid-19 patients in hospital yesterday, down 52 on Wednesday, the lowest since early March.

Of those, 37 are in intensive care, the lowest number since March 11.

Around 76 outbreaks of Covid-19 https://www.independent.ie/ were reported last https://www.independent.ie/week, 57 fewer than the previous https://www.independent.ie/week, although this is the case could be affected by the Easter holidays.

They included 26 cases in care homes and 29 in residential facilities – including centers for disabilities and mental illness – https://www.independent.ie/, while there were https://www.independent.ie/ nine outbreaks in acute care hospitals. Seven outbreaks https://www.independent.ie/ were in HSE-run care homes and long-term care units.

Up to 24 people https://www.independent.ie/ became infected in some of the care home outbreaks over the last https://www.independent.ie/week and up to 22 in some individual hospital outbreaks.

There 3,056 new cases of Covid-19 were reported yesterday, including 1,426 confirmed by a PCR test and the others after home antigen testing.

It means there is still a significant amount of virus in circulation.

Around 20 Covid-19 deaths https://www.independent.ie/ were last https://www.independent.ie/week reported.

There is now a study in the lancet Today says that tougher pandemic policies – often implemented by countries trying to control Covid-99 rather than eliminate it – https://www.independent.ie/ with a slight https://www.independent.ie/ health ratings are associated with poorer mental health.

Mental health impacts related to https://www.independent.ie/ with lockdowns https://www.independent.ie/ were https://www.independent.ie/ worse for https://www.independent .ie/women and https://www.independent.ie/Women living in households https://www.independent.ie/with dependent children compared to men of all ages.

At the national level, countries aiming to eliminate community transmission of Covid-19 have https://www.independent.ie/within their
During the pandemic, there were fewer deaths at borders and equivalent or better mental health trends than in countries that aimed to control transmission rather than eliminate it.

Eliminator countries like South Korea and Japan have taken early and targeted action such as international travel restrictions, testing and contact tracing.

Mitigator countries like France, the UK and Ireland opted for less restrictive international travel restrictions, aiming for control rather than elimination.