diff --git a/src/controllers/v1/notificationsController.ts b/src/controllers/v1/notificationsController.ts
index ed7a662..2d8486c 100644
--- a/src/controllers/v1/notificationsController.ts
+++ b/src/controllers/v1/notificationsController.ts
@@ -152,12 +152,15 @@ export class NotificationsController {
   ): Promise<ReadSingleNotificationResponse> {
     try {
       const user = params.user;
-      const notification = await markNotificationsAsRead(
+      const [notification] = await markNotificationsAsRead(
         [Number(notificationId)],
         user.id,
       );
+      if (!notification) {
+        throw new Error(errorMessages.NOTIFICATION_NOT_FOUND);
+      }
       return {
-        notification: notification.raw[0],
+        notification,
       };
     } catch (e) {
       logger.error('readNotification() error', e);
@@ -178,9 +181,8 @@ export class NotificationsController {
     try {
       // in case mark as read all is limited per category
       await markNotificationGroupAsRead(user, params.category);
-      const notificationCounts = await countUnreadNotifications(user);
 
-      return notificationCounts;
+      return countUnreadNotifications(user);
     } catch (e) {
       logger.error('readNotification() error', e);
       throw e;
diff --git a/src/middlewares/authentication.ts b/src/middlewares/authentication.ts
index ee32cdd..08f51eb 100644
--- a/src/middlewares/authentication.ts
+++ b/src/middlewares/authentication.ts
@@ -73,28 +73,6 @@ export const authenticateThirdPartyServiceToken = async (
   }
 };
 
-export const authenticateUser = async (
-  req: Request,
-  res: Response,
-  next: NextFunction,
-) => {
-  try {
-    const authorization = req.headers.authorization as string;
-    // TODO check with Authentication micro service
-    res.locals.user = {
-      userIdInGiveth: '',
-      userIdInTrace: '',
-      walletAddress: '',
-      email: '',
-    };
-    res.locals.microservice = '';
-    next();
-  } catch (e) {
-    console.log('authenticateThirdPartyBasicAuth error', e);
-    next(e);
-  }
-};
-
 export const validateAuthMicroserviceJwt = async (
   req: Request,
   res: Response,
@@ -118,14 +96,9 @@ export const validateAuthMicroserviceJwt = async (
 
     const userAddress = result.data.publicAddress.toLowerCase();
 
-    let user = await findUserByWalletAddress(userAddress);
-
-    if (!user) {
-      user = await createNewUserAddress(userAddress);
-    }
-
-    res.locals.user = user;
-
+    res.locals.user =
+      (await findUserByWalletAddress(userAddress)) ||
+      (await createNewUserAddress(userAddress));
     next();
   } catch (e) {
     console.log('authenticateThirdPartyBasicAuth error', e);
diff --git a/src/repositories/notificationRepository.ts b/src/repositories/notificationRepository.ts
index 1d8ce12..75e1871 100644
--- a/src/repositories/notificationRepository.ts
+++ b/src/repositories/notificationRepository.ts
@@ -5,14 +5,15 @@ import { Notification } from '../entities/notification';
 import { errorMessages } from '../utils/errorMessages';
 import { query } from 'express';
 import { NOTIFICATION_CATEGORY } from '../types/general';
+import { CountUnreadNotificationsResponse } from '../types/requestResponses';
 
 export const markNotificationGroupAsRead = async (
   user: UserAddress,
   category?: string,
-) => {
+): Promise<void> => {
   let query = Notification.createQueryBuilder('notification')
-    .select('notification.id')
     .innerJoinAndSelect('notification."notificationType"', 'notificationType')
+    .update<Notification>(Notification, { isRead: true })
     .where('notification."userAddressId" = :userAddressId', {
       userAddressId: user.id,
     })
@@ -23,19 +24,15 @@ export const markNotificationGroupAsRead = async (
       category: category,
     });
   }
-  const notifications = await query.getMany();
-
-  const notificationsIds = notifications.map(notification => notification.id);
-  const updateQuery = await markNotificationsAsRead(notificationsIds);
-
-  return updateQuery.raw;
+  await query.execute();
 };
 
 // returns raw data as array always
 export const markNotificationsAsRead = async (
   ids: number[],
   userAddressId?: number,
-) => {
+): Promise<Notification[]> => {
+  // TODO as I changed markNotificationGroupAsRead, we should change this function to just get one id and update that notificaiton
   let updateQuery = Notification.createQueryBuilder('notification')
     .update<Notification>(Notification, { isRead: true })
     .where('notification.id IN (:...ids)');
@@ -47,30 +44,33 @@ export const markNotificationsAsRead = async (
     );
   }
 
-  return updateQuery
+  const result = await updateQuery
     .setParameter('ids', ids)
     .returning('*')
     .updateEntity(true)
     .execute();
+  return result.raw;
 };
 
-export const countUnreadNotifications = async (user: UserAddress) => {
-  const [, total] = await baseNotificationQuery(user).getManyAndCount();
-  const [, projectsRelated] = await baseNotificationQuery(user)
+export const countUnreadNotifications = async (
+  user: UserAddress,
+): Promise<CountUnreadNotificationsResponse> => {
+  const total = await baseNotificationQuery(user).getCount();
+  const projectsRelated = await baseNotificationQuery(user)
     .andWhere('notificationType.category = :category', {
       category: NOTIFICATION_CATEGORY.PROJECT_RELATED,
     })
-    .getManyAndCount();
-  const [, givEconomyRelated] = await baseNotificationQuery(user)
+    .getCount();
+  const givEconomyRelated = await baseNotificationQuery(user)
     .andWhere('notificationType.category = :category', {
       category: NOTIFICATION_CATEGORY.GENERAL,
     })
-    .getManyAndCount();
-  const [, general] = await baseNotificationQuery(user)
+    .getCount();
+  const general = await baseNotificationQuery(user)
     .andWhere('notificationType.category = :category', {
       category: NOTIFICATION_CATEGORY.GIV_ECONOMY,
     })
-    .getManyAndCount();
+    .getCount();
 
   return {
     total,
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ export const getNotifications = async (
 
   if (isRead) {
     query = query.andWhere('notification."isRead" = :isRead', {
-      isRead: isRead === 'true',
+      isRead:  isRead === 'true',
     });
   }
 
diff --git a/src/routes/v1/notificationSettingsRouter.ts b/src/routes/v1/notificationSettingsRouter.ts
index 72773e7..982cf10 100644
--- a/src/routes/v1/notificationSettingsRouter.ts
+++ b/src/routes/v1/notificationSettingsRouter.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,5 @@
 import express, { Request, Response } from 'express';
-import {
-  authenticateThirdPartyBasicAuth,
-  authenticateUser,
-  validateAuthMicroserviceJwt,
-} from '../../middlewares/authentication';
+import { validateAuthMicroserviceJwt } from '../../middlewares/authentication';
 import { NotificationSettingsController } from '../../controllers/v1/notificationSettingsController';
 import { sendStandardResponse } from '../../utils/responseUtils';
 
diff --git a/src/utils/errorMessages.ts b/src/utils/errorMessages.ts
index a15e42a..d9f4b59 100644
--- a/src/utils/errorMessages.ts
+++ b/src/utils/errorMessages.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ export const errorMessages = {
   CHANGE_API_INVALID_TITLE_OR_EIN:
     'ChangeAPI title or EIN not found or invalid',
   INVALID_SOCIAL_NETWORK: 'Invalid social network',
+  NOTIFICATION_NOT_FOUND: 'Notification not found',
   IT_SHOULD_HAVE_ONE_OR_TWO_ADDRESSES_FOR_RECIPIENT:
     'It should have one or two wallet recipient addresses',
   NOT_IMPLEMENTED: 'Not implemented',