The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) will meet later today to discuss the resumption of visits to nursing homes.
Visits to nursing homes are currently suspended under Level 5 restrictions and are only allowed on compassionate grounds where residents are distressed or at the end of their lives.
But it is expected that NPHET will agree to allow nursing home visits to resume when they reconvene today given that the majority of residents and staff have now been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with almost 100,000 people receiving their first dose and 65,000 receiving their second as of last weekend.
Latest from NPHET
Figures released by HSE Chief Paul Reid on Wednesday revealed that serial testing in nursing homes has fallen to just 0.2% following the mass vaccination of residents and staff members.
The Chief Executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, Tadhg Daly, has said that he expects revised guidance to be published next week allowing for visiting to resume in the coming weeks, under certain conditions.
"It’s fantastic news that the vaccine is having such a positive effect in nursing homes," Me Daly said while speaking to RTE Radio’s Today with Claire Byrne on Wednesday.
"What we’re expecting now is that NPHET, at its meeting, will be looking at revised visitor guidance.
"We’d be hopeful that there would be an incremental cautious approach to reintroducing and the further easing of visitor reactions in the coming weeks.
"That is our expectation [that people will be allowed inside nursing homes for visits]. It is happening as we speak in critical and compassionate circumstances.
"What we need to do now is move to a further easing of those restrictions, doing it incrementally and watching how that develops."
Varadkar gives lockdown update
Meanwhile, Leo Varadkar has revealed that a relaxing of the 5km travel limit and allowing small outdoor gatherings are among the restrictions that are likely to be eased in April.
During an interview with RTE News At One on Wednesday, the Tanaiste said he he is hopeful that April 5 could also also mark a return to work on building sites and the resumption of click-and-collect shopping for non-essential retail outlets which are currently closed.
Mr Varadkar said: “What we made very clear in the plan when we published a few weeks ago is that we would review the situation in the run up to the 5th of April. And we’ve said that the only kind of restrictions that we could see being eased in April would be construction, the 5km rule and allowing more activities outdoors.”
He added: “That remains the case.
“Even if the number of vaccines is slightly behind schedule we’re making very good progress in terms of suppressing the virus.”
Varadkar said that he believes the delay in vaccine supply will not prevent Ireland from easing restrictions and that "we only intended to do some very modest easing anyway."
He added: "Click and collect is something that’s allowed in Level 5, but the reopening of non-essential retail stores will be further down the line."
Vaccine approval to come
The news comes as the European Medicines Agency is expected to clear the way for the European Commission to approve the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine later today.
It will be the fourth life saving jab that will be approved for use in Europe. However, the jab requires just one single shot and is therefore quicker and easier to administer than the vaccines already in use.
The company has committed to deliver 200 million doses to the EU this year, with Ireland set to receive 600,000 doses of this new vaccine during the second half of the year.
The European Medicines Agency will makes its decision on the vaccine today paving the way for the EU Commission to give the green light for use in member states as early as tomorrow.
Varadkar told Fine Gael’s parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday evening that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine should begin arriving in Ireland next month.
