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The coronavirus is now “rampant” in the community, according to HSE CEO Paul Reid.
hen cases are likely to reach 3,000 a day and the health service on high alert, HSE CCO Colm Henry also warned that it is “out of control” and that everyone it comes across should be treated as if they had the disease.
Speaking on Today with Katie Hannon on RTÉ Radio 1, Paul Reid said: “The virus is absolutely rampant in the community right now. Everyone is at extreme risk of contracting the virus.
“Our health service is on what we would now call a high alert.”
He said the healthcare system is designed to handle viruses, but not a pandemic, and it simply “cannot cope” with the amount of tests that are performed each day.
35,000 swabs were taken yesterday and 13,000 people were contacted for a virus test as close contacts.
Reid said the most symptomatic people are now being prioritized.
The country targets 3,000 cases per day.
“The real picture of the last few days is most likely close to 3,000 cases per day and that is the extent of the virus that we are dealing with.
“When we reach these levels, we have a severe impact on a whole set of areas, not just our systems, the health service and the volume that any system can handle.”
HSE CCO Colm Henry said GPs refer 15,000 people with symptoms a day for testing.
He said people should act as if everyone they meet has the virus.
“Act like everyone you know has the disease. The prevalence rate of the disease in the community is extremely high and is increasing exponentially, ”he said.
“We know that the virus is out of control,” he said.
He also said that there is data that the most transmissible variant of the virus in the UK has shown that there are more positive cases in children.
“To date, there is no suggestion that this new variant is more virulent if it causes more serious disease in children, only that there are more cases.
“Every battle must have a cause worth fighting for and surely education and healthcare are two things worth fighting for,” he added.
Meanwhile, the testing system for Covid-19 is doubling under the third wave, and contacts of positive cases say they will no longer receive a test.
Dr. Tony Holohan, CMO, said that symptomatic people should be considered a higher priority than those who are close contacts, with the demand for triggered testing.
Close contacts of positive Covid cases will no longer be advised to test themselves in an attempt to relieve pressure on the system.
Independiente.es She has also learned that GPs have been told to ensure that only those who require a test are referred.
One source said there had been “chaos” with many people showing up at the testing centers without being referred.
It occurs in the context of increasing numbers of patients in intensive care and deaths related to the disease.
New Year’s Eve brought grimmer numbers with another 12 Covid-19-related deaths and 1,620 additional confirmed cases.
However, health officials believe that the number of confirmed cases in recent days has been reported below 4,000. The delay is related to an increase in testing after a few calmer days over Christmas.
Dr Philip Nolan de Nphet said the tests were not necessarily cases and have yet to be validated: “A lot of them will become cases. We estimate that there are around 4,000 positive cases in the last two or three days that have not yet been formally confirmed.
Amid the alarming rise, people who are close contacts of positive cases are asked to restrict their movements for 14 days. The HSE has asked people to stay home and they behave as if they have the virus and are contagious.
In a letter sent to GPs in Dublin and nearby counties on Wednesday, the HSE said: “Since December 23 there has been a notable increase in the number of service users attending the Covid testing center without a referral. .
“This is putting significant pressure on the efficient operations of the test services and subsequently causing long delays and a poor user experience.
“I am writing to request your support and assistance in ensuring that only individuals who require testing are referred by you and informed that only they should report to a testing center.”
Yesterday, Dr. Holohan said: “Since the degree of transmission of the disease that we have is very, very great, it should be considered a higher priority than contact testing.
“So it’s just a matter of selecting that as the highest priority for people, and people who later identify themselves as close contacts in any cases that are identified will be advised to undergo movement restrictions for a full 14 days. .
“We will not be in a position to offer you a test at this time.”
He said the lack of information from close contact tests will not deter Nphet.
Dr Nolan, chair of Nphet’s Irish Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group, warned that if transmission of the virus is not suppressed, Ireland could face 3,000 cases a day by January 23.
the Irish independent revealed that two-thirds of Covid-19 deaths in December were related to outbreaks of the virus in hospitals and nursing homes. There were 101 deaths from coronavirus33 associated with outbreaks in hospitals and the same number in nursing homes.
Dr Nolan said: “If we fail to suppress the virus, we will be faced with an intolerable situation in which the number of hospitalized could increase to between 1,500 and 2,000 people by the end of January. That is simply unsustainable. Not suppressing the transmission leaves us in a scenario too difficult to be acceptable. “
The HSE has confirmed plans to vaccinate 20,000 people next week, including healthcare workers and nursing home residents in the seven hospital groups. The public is asked to stay home in addition to traveling for work, education, or other essential purposes.
The National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL), the nation’s largest medical virology laboratory, normally operating from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on Christmas Day and will reopen on Tuesday. An “on-call” service has been in operation since December 25. The HSE said the lab typically processes around 700 swabs per day.
In a statement, the HSE said: “The HSE processes between 10,000 and 20,000 tests per day based on demand. The different laboratories are used at different levels depending on the projected demand each day. The HSE operates a modeling system that analyzes demand on a daily basis and adjusts capacity accordingly. “
He added: “NVRLs were not required from Friday the 25th to Tuesday the 29th. This does not have a negative impact on the test responses as we are still working within our available capacity.
Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has warned Level 5 restrictions may need to be extended beyond the end of January.
The Fine Gael minister described the challenge ahead of trying to tackle the latest wave as “significant.”
“We have made the decision in a manner consistent with Nphet to move to a full set of Level 5 restrictions until the end of January and it may be necessary to go even further,” he said.
He rejected claims that the reopening of hospitality and allowing home visits in December was a mistake and caused the spike in Covid-19 cases.
He said it was a “misinterpretation” of the situation to suggest that there was a split between the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) and the Government.
“The pace of the third wave of the spread of this virus has taken everyone by surprise,” he told RTE Radio 1’s Morning Ireland.
He said that the relationship between the government and Nphet, and the decisions that have been made as a result of that relationship, in general, have saved many lives and kept the spread of the virus under control whenever possible.
“Of course some mistakes have been made, but now we are in the middle of a third wave and Nphet and the government are working together, but the government has to make decisions,” Coveney said, adding that Nphet’s advice is taken “very much in I laughed”. .
Irish independent
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