The variety of individuals hospitalised with Covid-19 this week is more likely to attain double the numbers on the peak of the primary wave of the pandemic right here, HSE chief Paul Reid has warned.
he well being service will come below rising pressure within the early a part of this week, because the numbers requiring in-patient remedy has given rise for concern.
That strain has already been seen at Letterkenny College Hospital in Donegal yesterday night the place at the least seven sufferers needed to be assessed in a queue of ambulances outdoors as a result of there was no area for them within the Emergency Division.
The entire sufferers are understood to have respiratory points.
Figures launched yesterday confirmed the Well being Safety Surveillance Centre (HPSC) was notified of 6,888 new Covid-19 instances, with 1,452 sufferers hospitalised. A complete of 125 individuals have been in intensive care items (ICU).
There had been 100 additional hospitalisations over the earlier 24 hours.
As well as, eight new deaths have been reported.
Of the instances reported yesterday, 2,088 have been in Dublin, 862 in Cork, 469 in Limerick, 405 in Wexford, 320 in Waterford and the remaining instances have been unfold throughout all different counties.
“Early this week, we are going to seemingly be at double what we had within the peak of final yr,” Mr Reid mentioned yesterday, including there was concern on the rising pattern.
He mentioned there have been 37 vacant grownup ICU beds and 11 vacant pediatric ICU beds throughout the well being system yesterday morning.
Talking on RTE’s This Week, he mentioned a ‘surge’ settlement reached with personal hospitals to entry beds and provides additional capability for sufferers had already been triggered.
“Personal hospitals are already taking some pressing care, non-Covid care and help, so we’ve got in essence triggered these processes already,” Mr Reid mentioned.
Final night time, Neal Donohue, INMO industrial relations officer for the north west, mentioned extra healthcare employees have been urgently wanted in Letterkenny.
“Our members are reporting unprecedented strain on Letterkenny Hospital. Beds are closed attributable to staffing shortages and the emergency division is packed.
“We’ve reached a stage the place at the least seven sufferers are being handled in ambulances as a result of there is not area within the hospital. That is the most important outbreak the hospital has ever confronted.”
Talking on Morning Eire on RTE Radio One this morning, Mr Donoghue mentioned the entire of Letterkenny Hospital has been below “immense strain” for weeks.
He continued: “Letterkenny has been below excessive strain for numerous weeks earlier than Christmas and there simply has been no let up. So, they’re making an attempt to run a non-Covid and Covid-positive pathway and it’s placing critical strain on staffing sources. Our employees are reporting burnout.”
A spokesperson for Letterkenny College Hospital mentioned: “All through the weekend there was numerous sufferers presenting with suspect or confirmed Covid-19, lots of whom required admission to the hospital.”
They mentioned consequently, there have been delays in admission for sufferers going to the devoted Covid-19 ward and scientific groups assessed sufferers from ambulances.
Saolta, the hospital group that runs Letterkenny, issued an announcement saying employees have been secured to make sure an additional 11 beds could be opened. The hospital says the ambulances are actually being launched because the sufferers could be handled within the hospital and Saolta apologised for any stress that the delays prompted.
“The hospital has secured further employees this night, which enabled it to open an extra 11 beds with the intention to reply to the demand,” they mentioned final night time.
In the meantime the chief government of one of many nation’s largest hospital teams, UL Hospitals, warned the sample of Covid-19 was quickly worsening throughout the mid-west area, with 427 of her employees unavailable for work because of the virus.
Irish Unbiased