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Updated 1 hour ago
THERE ARE NOW 673 Covid-19 patients being treated at the hospital, with an additional 75 people admitted to the hospital in the last 24 hours.
This is the highest level of Covid-19 hospital admissions on record in Ireland, with the number of patients in the hospital from a figure of 619 at 8pm last night.
At 11 a.m., there were 62 patients in ICU treatment, of which 30 were on ventilators. There have been three patients discharged in the same period.
There were also seven other suspected cases of Covid-19 in ICUs.
In the last seven days, more than 118,000 tests have been completed with a positivity rate of 17.6%, which has increased in recent days.
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital has risen in recent weeks, and the number of coronavirus cases in ICUs has more than doubled in two weeks.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization (INMO) said its members point to a significant increase in the number of patients presenting, along with high levels of staff absent due to Covid or self-isolation.
At Cork University Hospital, more than 100 nurses are unemployed for COVID-related reasons, while one ward was closed because only four nurses were available to treat him, according to the union.
New hospital admissions (last 24 hours)
Hospital discharge (24 hrs)
“What we are hearing from members across the country this weekend is deeply disturbing. The progress we made to keep the number of cases low appears to be completely undone, ”said INMO Secretary General Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
Covid is creating more patients at the same time that it depletes staff. It is a vicious combination. Staff are much more experienced than they had at the start of this pandemic, but the sheer numbers are difficult to cope with.
“Frontline staff are running three services in parallel: a COVID health service, a non-COVID health service, and a mass vaccination plan. This can only work if the pressure on our hospitals is relieved. “
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that the “explosion of cases” is “very alarming” and that it will not be feasible to end the restrictions if Ireland still has a 5-day average of 800 cases per day at the end of January.
“If patients continue to enter at the rate they are currently entering, we will run into difficulties later in January,” he said.
Varadkar told RTÉ This Week that additional restrictions cannot be ruled out, but it takes more time for the current restrictions to work.
He said there are strong reasons to keep current restrictions until those most at risk are vaccinated, “even if that means getting in until February.”
“I think the public would understand that the vaccine changes the landscape. Now we have the opportunity to suppress the virus, reduce the numbers and use that time to vaccinate those who are most at risk and then we consider the situation at that time.
Varadkar added that the ICU capacity of the private hospital will be available if needed: “We don’t need it yet, but if it is needed at some point during the third wave, it may be available.”
HSE’s clinical director, Dr. Colm Henry, told the same program that the health system is coping right now, with 43 vacant ICU beds and more than 500 vacant beds in the acute hospital system. However, the cause for concern is the “exponential increase” in cases and what that will take in a short period of time.
“We are very concerned about the trends we are seeing … our fear is that this will take a long time to change, even if we see full adherence from the end of December.”
Henry estimates hospitalization levels of 1,300 or more by the end of January.
“If there is something that is not complete compliance, if there is something that is not complete compliance, if that R-value does not fall to the levels we need, we will see activity levels in the acute and intensive care hospital system, which will put them under considerable stress, by the end of the month. “
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We see further increases in the number of hospitals (673) and ICUs (62) this morning. The growth rate is a major concern and there will be more increases before we change this. A clear signal to all of us of the need to protect and protect each other by staying home. pic.twitter.com/zuLP5KzYuA
– Professor Philip Nolan (@President_MU) January 3, 2021
Chairman of the Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group of Ireland and NPHET modeling expert Professor Philip Nolan, the increase in hospitalizations was a major concern and he warned of further increases “before we change this”.
“A clear signal to all of us of the need to protect and protect each other by staying at home,” Nolan tweeted.
Yesterday, public health officials confirmed there were 3,394 cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.
Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan said that it is really important that vulnerable and elderly people do not leave their homes unless absolutely essential, as cases and the number of hospitalizations increase.
Ireland’s 14-day incidence rate is now 381.6 per 100,000 people.
A brief update on our vaccination program. The first vaccines were administered this week and it marks an enormously important milestone. It has brought much needed hope. We started with healthcare workers in our hospitals and now we are moving into nursing homes. pic.twitter.com/ItHfgiDD0i
– Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) January 2, 2021
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the number of vaccines will be reported with the number of coronavirus cases posted daily by his department.
Donnelly said that all residents and nursing staff should receive the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine before the end of the month.
“By the end of January, we plan to have vaccinated residents and everyone who works in our 580 nursing homes (70,000) with the first dose,” Donnelly said.
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