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The National Public Health Emergency Team reported 1,754 more coronavirus cases and 11 more deaths on Friday.
The team said as many as 70 people were entering the state’s hospital system each day and the number of people hospitalized with the disease passed 500 on Friday. There are now 47 seriously ill people in the ICU with Covid-19. An additional 9,000 new cases are expected to be reported in the coming days due to the backlog of Christmas reports.
93,532 cases of coronavirus have already been reported in the Republic since the start of the pandemic last March and 2,248 deaths.
The Republic entered a total Level 5 lockdown at midnight with the closure of all non-essential retail stores, the reintroduction of a 5km travel limit, restrictions on home visits, and the delayed reopening of schools until midnight. except on January 11.
Of the cases reported today, 846 are men and 900 are women, 64% are under 45 years of age, while the average age is 35 years. A total of 523 cases are in Dublin, 296 in Cork, 180 in Galway, 104 in May, 94 in Kerry and the remaining 557 cases are distributed in all other counties.
As of 2 p.m. today, 504 Covid-19 patients are hospitalized, of which 47 are in the ICU with 46 additional hospitalizations in the last 24 hours, Nphet said in its daily statement.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Medical Director of the Department of Health, said: “The most worrying trend today is the rapid increase in the number of people entering the hospital; we now admit between 50 and 70 people a day in our hospital system.
“Unfortunately, we expect this to get worse before it gets better. Our healthcare system will not continue to face this level of impact.
“We’ve also seen a significant increase in positive lab tests in recent days, reflecting a real increase in the incidence of the disease, as well as the delay in people showing up for tests over the Christmas period.
Professor Philip Nolan, Chairman of Nphet’s Irish Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group, said: “Tests processed and reported on a given day will normally be validated and confirmed by HPSC the next day. Positive tests detected in laboratories require validation (to remove duplicates and other tests that do not create new cases) and transferred to the HPSC database prior to confirmation and reporting.
“A large volume of positive tests in recent days means there is a delay in formal reporting. Over 9,000 new cases will be reported in the coming days. The delay in notification does not affect case management or contact tracing or our overall monitoring and modeling of the pandemic. “
Rampant
HSE chief Paul Reid said on Friday the virus was “rampant” while HSE clinical director Colm Henry said it was “out of control.”
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland, Mr. Reid said: “It’s absolutely rampant in the community and we know it for a fact. Everyone is now at extremely high risk of contracting the virus.
“Most likely, the true picture of the last few days is close to 3,000 cases a day. That is the extent of the virus we are dealing with.
“So when we get to these levels, there is a severe impact on a whole set of areas, and the volume exceeds what any one system can handle,” added Mr. Reid.
Henry told the Today with Katie Hannon show on RTÉ Radio One that the virus was out of control and that, according to a conservative estimate, 1,200 hospital admissions were expected by mid-January and 2,000 by the end of January. On Friday morning at 8 in the morning, 491 confirmed cases were registered in hospitals in the Republic and 42 in intensive care units.
On Thursday, the National Public Health Emergency Team reported what Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan described as an “alarming escalation.” in the spread of the virus.
“This disease is now widespread in our communities and as a result we are asking everyone to behave as if they are a close contact,” he added.
“To support the testing system through this increase, we are no longer advising close contacts of confirmed cases to get tested. Test and trace is a containment exercise and we are no longer in a containment phase. However, it is imperative that if you are a close contact for a confirmed case, you restrict your movements and contact your GP immediately if you develop symptoms. “
Nphet wrote to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly this week to express concern that even the new Covid-19 restrictions announced on Wednesday, which will be in effect until the end of January, will not be enough to reduce the spread of the virus.
In the letter Sent on Wednesday and published on Thursday, Dr. Holohan said: “Nphet reiterates his view that the current set of measures will not be sufficient to disrupt transmission patterns to the extent necessary.”
Nphet recommends that Level 5 restrictions be imposed for a period of six weeks. “Nphet cautions that this will require, at a minimum, the implementation and compliance of the full set of Level 5 measures as set out in the Government’s Plan for Living with COVID-19. The Nphet recommends that these measures be implemented as a matter of urgency and remain in effect for a period of six weeks. “
“The level of disease has passed containment and as such we are now in a mitigation phase.”
The letter goes on to say that Nphet “is of the opinion that the virus is circulating in the community at a level that requires strict ‘stay-at-home’ measures (with exemptions provided only for those activities and services that are essential by nature). ) to significantly and comprehensively reduce the opportunities for contact and further transmission of the disease “.
Nphet believes that due to “some element of underreporting as a result of the festive period, and coupled with potential additional risks posed by the UK and South African variants,” “there could be a further acceleration in incidence and severity indicators in the los days to come “.
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