Time fast running out to turn tide on Covid surge, warns Holohan

11 counties now on Covid alert

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan urged people to cut their contacts. Photo: Collins Photos

Eilish O Regan, Gabija Gataveckaite and David Raleigh

Surging cases and a rise in Covid-19-infected patients in hospital have put the country back in the grip of the virus, amid desperate appeals for people to heed warnings to cut back on their socialising.

But time may already be running out to dramatically turn the tide, with “the Christmas lights already up” and the festive season of get-togethers with vulnerable relatives not far off, warned chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan.