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Ireland is likely to see a massive increase in the number of deaths from Covid-19 in the coming weeks, warned Dr. Tony Holohan.
The medical director issued the terrifying warning as the number of daily cases multiplied by thousands, and hospitals were forced to cut back on non-essential services amid rising infection rates.
“We will see a very marked increase in mortality,” Dr. Holohan told Pat Kenny in Newstalk this morning.
“I’m sorry to say that will be the case. January will see a significant multiple of the number of deaths that we saw over the course of November and December as a result of this.”
He said the explosion in the number of cases in recent days, which has surpassed daily records when it comes to infection rates, occurred because people did not show up for tests on Christmas.
The impact of “a very marked increase” in hospitalizations, he added, will be felt deeply throughout the health service, which has already begun to reduce non-essential medical procedures as a result of increased demand.
“The amount of infection in this country right now is huge,” said Dr. Holohan.
“We have never faced this level of infection.
“The risk to people in this country now does not come from international travel, it is from other people in this country.
“What we have to ensure now is that we mitigate and minimize the impact.”
(Image: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin)
He added: “The person who poses a risk to you now is not the person who comes from the UK or elsewhere.
“The person who now represents a risk to you is someone else within this country, within this community.”
He also intervened in the situation surrounding schools, which will likely remain closed beyond next Monday.
Dr. Holohan said public health chiefs are concerned about the rising rate of infection among school goers.
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