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The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care has increased by half in the space of a week.
This morning there were 30 patients with viruses in the ICU, according to the government data center, one less than yesterday but 10 more than a week ago.
Hospitalizations jumped 80 percent over the past week, to 221 this morning from 120 a week ago.
The Health Service Executive says it had 38 intensive care beds and 420 general beds available on Sunday.
Covid-19 cases continue to increase in all but four counties in the Republic, according to the latest figures.
Incidence of the disease dropped in Louth, Mayo, Roscommon and Tipperary on Sunday, compared to the day before, according to an update from the Center for Health Protection Surveillance.
Donegal continues to be the most affected country, with an incidence of 344.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants during the last 14 days. However, Cavan, where the incidence increased by 12 percent in one day, to 338.7, looks set to overtake Donegal in the next few days.
Monaghan has the next highest incidence, with 319.3, followed by Clare, with 260.1.
In Dublin, the incidence increased only slightly to 174.6, less than in seven other counties.
Carlow, with a 14-day incidence of 59.7, has the lowest figures in the Republic.
Overall, 7,548 people tested positive during the fortnight through Sunday, yielding a national incidence of 158.5.
There were 223 Covid-19-related hospitalizations, 14 ICU admissions, and nine deaths during the period.
‘Sickness and death’
The World Health Organization (WHO) special envoy on Covid-19, Dr. David Nabarro, warned that there will be “many illnesses and deaths in Ireland in the next two months” if people are not careful.
He said Ireland should focus on getting everyone to adhere to preventive measures. Dr. Nabarro told Newstalk Breakfast that there was a middle way between a complete lockdown and the easing of restrictions. A national blockade should only be considered when the numbers are “very bad.”
He also said he did not like fines (for non-compliance with regulations), he said he preferred that people choose to do the right thing.
A robust testing, tracking, and isolating system was needed in each county so that outbreaks could be identified and treated as they emerged. A financial support system was also necessary so that people did not fear losing money if they did not go to work because they were ill.
High government figures have emphasized that there were no immediate plans for a brief shutdown, known as a “circuit breaker,” despite deterioration in coronavirus metrics over the weekend.
Regional restrictions, rather than a national lockdown, may be the next step for the government to take if steps need to be taken to stop the drastic increase in cases.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Sunday urged the public to change their behaviors so that “we can make Level 3 work, protect lives and livelihoods” and stop the spread of Covid-19.
Dr. Nabarro said that not going from Level 3 to Level 5 was risky, he said. It would be from a month to six weeks before it was known if that had been the “right way”.
Dr. Nabarro pointed out that there has been a real accumulation of the virus in other parts of Europe, there was no reason to believe that Ireland was going to escape.
“If you are going to stay at Level 3, do everything you can to stop the spread of the virus,” he urged.
Ability to build
HSE COO Anne O’Connor has said the health service is building system-wide capacity for Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 pathways. The goal is for patients to be treated at home, in the community and in hospitals, he said.
Ms. O’Connor told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show that it was important that specialized services were available to those who needed them.
“We are concerned because [Covid] the numbers are increasing so rapidly. “
Caring for people with other serious illnesses was important, and a great deal of work had gone into ensuring that people were safe, he added.
Ms. O’Connor acknowledged that 700 healthcare workers were still working on testing and another 100 on contact tracing. The aim was to get the health and social workers who had been sent for testing and tracking back to their posts, while at the same time developing the capacity of staff to track contacts.
It would be important that these personnel return to their positions shortly, as it will be necessary for the winter.
On the same show, intensive care consultant Dr. Catherine Motherway said the health care system is not overwhelmed yet, it is “normally stretched out.”
While it was good that the R number in Dublin was dropping, it was still increasing outside of Dublin. “We all have to buckle up and find new ways of life.”
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