Coronavirus Ireland update: most people who get viruses are fully recovering

Most people who get Covid-19 are making a full recovery, as the number of people in intensive care units with the virus is decreasing.

And personal protective equipment (PPE) remains crucial in the fight against the pandemic, as healthcare workers now need 9 million masks per week, costing a billion euros per year.

And as the spread of the virus slows, the HSE plans to open more services this week to non-Covid patients, particularly those with cancer or who need other urgent procedures.

According to the HSE, 543 people with Covid-19 are currently in the hospital. Another 196 people suspected of having the virus are also in the hospital.

A total of 72 people with Covid-19 are currently in ICU across the country.

This means that the number of people with Covid-19 in ICU is now 55% less than at the peak of 160.

Speaking in Dublin on Sunday, HSE clinical director Dr. Colm Henry said that most people in the community setting are recovering from the virus, and thousands of lives have been saved.

He also paid tribute to families who have tragically lost their loved ones to the virus.

Dr. Henry said: “Since social distancing measures were introduced in late March, we see some positive trends that can give us hope about how we are going to navigate through this and how we will get out the other side.

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“The proportion of people in the ICU with Covid-19 is now half of what it was on April 9.

“We see a slowdown in new cases. We see more and more people recover.

“More than 70% of the total number of cases have fully recovered in the community setting.”

Dr. Henry said that more than 10,000 lives have been saved: “The R value is falling well below 0.8. If that R value had stayed at 2.4, we would have been seeing on May 7, 12,000 deaths instead of almost 1,200. ”

Meanwhile, HSE CEO Paul Reid said PPE continues to be supplied and distributed across the country, even as demand and costs soar.

Masks for health workers are particularly in demand, and the health service now needs 1.2 million masks per day. In non-Covid times, this figure would be only 200,000 masks per day.

This means that the HSE needs 9 million masks per week.

This is expected to cost a billion euros over the course of a year.

To help with the supply, South Korea will send a shipment of 120 million masks in the coming days, following a phone call between Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and President Moon Jae-in.

According to Mr. Reid, 9 million masks, stacked on top of each other on their pallets, would be 11 times taller than Liberty Hall.

Mr. Reid said that HSE plans to continue to obtain EPP from the international market while increasing the capacity to manufacture EPP here in Ireland.

He also said that the country is still on track to be able to do 100,000 tests per week, from May 18 onwards.

All 30,000 employees and 28,000 nursing home residents have been screened and the HSE is now screening those living in mental health and disability service centers, as well as Direct Provision.

According to Mr. Reid, huge costs are involved in both the PPE and the testing and tracing of contacts, but both are essential for Ireland to ease the current restrictions.

He said: “The costs of not investing in these are much higher in terms of the cost to society of not unlocking restrictions.”

Meanwhile, non-Covid services will increase in the coming weeks as public hospitals continue to work with private ones.

People living with cancer, cardiovascular problems and neurological trauma, as well as those who need transplant services, will have priority.