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Covid-19 case numbers continue to rise in most counties, but the rate of increase is generally slowing, the latest figures show.
Yesterday, the incidence of the virus increased in 15 counties relative to the previous day and decreased in 11, according to data from the Center for Health Protection Surveillance.
Relative to five days earlier, yesterday’s numbers were up in 19 counties, down in six and unchanged in one (Longford).
During the five-day period, the incidence of the disease has more than doubled in two counties, Monaghan and Cavan. Cases have nearly doubled in Donegal and Cork counties.
By contrast, the incidence in Dublin is growing only slowly now – 11 percent in five days. And in Wicklow and Waterford, two counties threatened with more restrictions, the number of relative cases has fallen in the one- and five-day windows.
The highest incidence of 14 days yesterday was in Donegal, with 185.3 per 100,000 people, followed by Dublin with 152.9.
The lowest incidence was in Tipperary, at 20.7, although this number is increasing slightly.
The national incidence was 84.5, compared with 70.7 five days earlier.
Meanwhile, the number of hospitalized cases is relatively stable, with 108 cases confirmed last night, up from 110 the day before.
There were 17 patients in the ICU, compared to 18 the day before.
There are currently 48 free intensive care beds, out of the 272 currently staffed and open.
This morning, 192 inpatients were waiting for a bed in state hospitals, according to the daily count by the Irish Organization of Nurses and Midwives.
Significant impact on hospitals
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive of the Health Service warned that the impact of Covid-19 on hospitals is as significant now as it was during the peak of the virus.
“Although lower than our worst peak, the impact on our hospitals is as significant as we are now trying to keep all of our other services running,” wrote Paul Reid, HSE CEO, on Twitter.
His warning comes as 430 more cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the state, the most cases in a day since 701 cases were reported on April 26, while the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) reported no additional deaths.
High-level government sources have described the figures as “very worrying” and have expressed concern about the increasing pressure on the capacity of the health service.
Intensive care consultant Dr. Catherine Motherway has asked for clarity on the exact number of intensive care beds that will be opened under the Government’s Winter Plan.
The former president of the Society for Intensive Care said she was unsure whether the 17 ICU beds mentioned in the plan were additional or part of the additional capacity created during the pandemic.
There was also the question of how the beds would be financed and whether they could be staffed, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
The additional intensive care and high dependency beds created in March had been provided with temporary funding, he said, and there was an urgent need to know what funds would remain and how these beds will be staffed given the shortage of intensive care nurses and the length of time it takes to train staff.
The intensive care beds were very expensive to maintain due to the staffing levels required, Dr. Motherway explained. The staff-to-patient ratio in the ICU is 1: 1, in a high-dependency bed it is 1: 2 and in a ward it could be 1: 6.
Dr. Motherway also raised concerns about cancellation of surgeries due to Covid-19 and said this could mean a reduction in “good outcomes” for some patients.
Health professionals could only respond to what was happening in the community, he said, so public response was important, everyone should be as responsible as possible, wash their hands, observe social distancing and keep contacts to a minimum.
“We need clarity on the extra beds, where they are so we can recruit.”
‘The flu multiplied by 10’
On the other hand, the infectious disease consultant Dr. Eoghan de Barra has warned that the pressure on the health system this winter will be “like the flu multiplied by 10”.
The health service will cope, but it will be difficult, he told Newstalk Breakfast. “We are in a much better place to deal with it now” because the lessons were learned in March, he said.
Dr Mick Molloy, a member of the IMO consultative committee and consultant in Emergency Medicine at Wexford General Hospital, told the same show that canceling elective surgeries had created the space to tackle Covid-19 early of the year, but now he was staffing. much more to attend to each patient due to the protection measures they had to take.
Some hospitals essentially had a parallel ICU system to deal specifically with Covid-19 patients, which meant more staff was needed.
Dr. Molloy requested that more consultants be appointed to assist with the flow of patients through the hospitals.
Dr Clive Kilgannon, also from IMO’s advisory committee, told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that winter will put additional pressure on the healthcare system. “Now we are heading to the second phase, the good news is that this time we know better how to treat patients.”
But he cautioned that everyone must continue to follow public guidelines to make a difference. “We must all redouble our efforts.
“What we all do now will have a disproportionate effect a month from now. We need to move quickly now as a society. “
Dr. Kilgannon called for the immediate implementation of the Winter Plan, the shortages of medical staff and the number of beds needed to be addressed to avoid a second wave.
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