Number of hospitals rises to nearly 500 as level 5 lockdown takes effect

The number of people treated at the Republic hospital for Covid-19 reached almost 500 on Thursday, almost doubling in the last seven days, with a warning from Taoiseach Micheál Martin that the numbers will deteriorate further in the coming days.

Ireland began a full Level 5 lockdown at midnight with the closure of non-essential shops, gyms, leisure centers and swimming pools since Thursday’s closure.

And as an indication of the deteriorating situation in the state, Dr. Tony Holohan, the state’s chief medical officer, said Thursday that the restrictions could be in effect until March, a full year from the start of the pandemic.

“I can’t rule that out, I can’t rule that out, but for the moment, we have a four-week chance. I know this would not be possible, but if each person could isolate himself from everyone else in the population for a period of 14 days, all the infection would disappear, ”he told Newstalk’s Late Breakfast with Mark Cagney.

“At the moment I cannot tell you that I see any signs to suggest that this is slowing down, unfortunately. With that very high level of infection, it’s going to take a long time, if I can tell, to clear that level of infection from the population.

“So we have everything to do in the four weeks until the end of January.”

the announcement of the third confinement by Mr. Martin occurred after the rapid spread of the disease during the Christmas period. For the second day in a row on Wednesday, a new record for additional cases of the virus was set, with 1,718 positive tests reported. Another 13 Covid-related deaths were also confirmed.

The R number, which indicates how many people are infected by a positive case, is now between 1.6 and 1.8.

(Questions and answers: All you need to know about the third confinement)

“The numbers will deteriorate further in the next few days,” Martin said in a televised address to the nation at 6 pm on Wednesday.

“With the disease spreading much faster, the threat of our healthcare system being overwhelmed and the risk of increased disease and death among our older and vulnerable populations is obvious,” he added.

“The truth is that with the presence of the new strain and the rate of growth, this is not a time for nuances in our response. We must apply the brakes to movement and physical interaction across the country. “

He said next month “as we face these tighter controls in the dead of winter, it will be very difficult for everyone.”

However, he said there was light at the end of the tunnel, after a year of “the most extraordinary effort by the most talented scientific minds on earth, we have safe and effective vaccines.”

The latest HSE Daily operations report released Thursday morning showed 466 people were being treated in hospitals across the Republic as of 8 p.m. Wednesday night, an increase from 253 a week ago, representing an increase of more than 80 percent. There were 188 suspected cases at the hospital, compared to 111 a week ago. Last night there were 39 people treated in the ICU, with 20 ventilated cases, compared to the figures of 25 and 15 a week ago.

As of this morning, there are 491 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the hospital, with 39 left in the ICU. More than 100,000 tests have been conducted in the last seven days, with a positivity rate of 10.5 percent, according to the Government’s Covid-19. Data center.

‘Relook in our activity’

Dr. Holohan said early Thursday that the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine will be reported so the public is aware of the progress of the program.

People can be sure the program is being implemented correctly by reporting vaccination figures, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

Dr. Holohan defended the pace of implementation of the vaccination program saying it could be harmful if not done correctly. The program will be operated to the highest standards, he added.

However, the CMO cautioned that vaccination was not a reason for people not to act now. He called on everyone to “go back to basic public health measures” – stay home, avoiding social contacts.

When asked if he was frustrated that the government had not followed the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team in early December not to open the hospitality sector, Dr. Holohan said it was Nphet’s job to monitor the situation. and make recommendations while the government had a different approach. work to be done involving a wide range of issues, including economic impact. That is what the government had done, he said.

“Now it is up to us, as individual citizens, to take responsibility for limiting transmission. Now is the opportunity to review our activity. If we all do what we can, we can protect public health. “

The increase in numbers has occurred recently because the average number of contacts has increased considerably. The public had become involved in a greater amount of social activity which provided an opportunity for the virus to spread.

The basic measures of staying home, avoiding social contacts were important and effective regardless of variation or different strains of the virus. The measures we must take are the same. It was not important to identify the variation. “We know enough to tell us what to do as individuals.

“Each of us must take into account our own behavior. This is an opportunity to take action that can end transmission patterns.

“The message has to be what to do in the future, not to look back. The basic objectives are to keep transmission at relatively low levels and reduce hospitalizations and prevent the wave of mortality that Europe has experienced ”.