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The World Health Organization’s special envoy for Covid-19 has urged people to “take the virus very seriously right now” and treat it with respect.
Dr. David Nabarro said that Covid-19 is not a mild or more trivial illness than the flu and that one in 50 people who contract the virus has long-term effects.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Dr. Nabarro said that so-called “circuit breakers” reduce the number of cases, but if such a move is to be made, then other measures must be implemented, such as building test capacity. at the same time.
That way, when the “circuit breaker” is released, there’s no sudden spike in unmanageable cases, he said.
When asked about the decision to ban indoor dining, he said he suspects the decision to focus on the hospitality industry stems from emerging evidence that these are places where streaming is taking place.
He added that Ireland has some of the best infectious disease experts in the world and urged the public to listen to them.
Dr. Nabarro also said that despite the increase in the number of cases in Europe, it is not accompanied by a rapid increase in deaths and there are several reasons for this, including the protection of vulnerable people, while people with Covid have much better treatments.
When asked about comments made by US President Donald Trump, urging people to “not be afraid of the virus,” he said that he personally wished leaders would not make such comments.
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Meanwhile, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in hospitals remains relatively stable, according to the latest figures.
There are 156 people with Covid-19 in the hospital at 8am today. This is an increase of 142 people just 12 hours earlier, at 8pm yesterday.
The number of people with coronavirus in intensive care is 24.
According to data from the Overnight Health Service Executive, Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin has the most confirmed cases with 23 patients.
There are 14 patients with Covid-19 at St James Hospital, 12 at Mater and 12 at Letterkenny University Hospital; 11 at Beaumont and ten cases each at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown and Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar.
Overall, the hospital system has 27 free adult ICU beds and there are a total of 278 open and staffed adult ICU beds.
Compared to 422 open and staffed intensive care beds on May 7.
The positivity rate for Covid-19 tests has risen to 3.9 in the last seven days.
Massive Investment in Covid Strategy Urged
A respiratory consultant at Bon Secours Hospital in Cork said Ireland’s Covid strategy needs massive investment in healthcare and should not rely on the implementation of lockdowns to prevent the hospital system from imploding.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Oisin O’Connell said that Covid-19 has a natural tendency to resurface with human interaction and, as with any exponential curve, it can ultimately lead to the overwhelming hospital system.
He said there is now “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to fix hospital capacity issues and adequately resourced beds, staff and community follow-up programs.
Dr O’Connell said the national strategy must “think of this as a longer-term war” that requires a coherent three-, five- and seven-year strategy with adequate resource allocation and budget for that longer term. .
Additional information Fergal Bowers, Laura Hogan
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