Intensive care units (ICUs) across the country will remain close to their limits for some time despite falling hospital admissions related to Covid-19, the HSE chief has warned.
Paul Reid said the number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 had fallen to 1,488 on Saturday morning.
However, there were more than 500 people receiving some form of intensive or high acute care across the hospital system.
Some 210 patients were in ICU — a number which is 35 per cent higher than the peak of the first wave last spring.
The numbers of #COVID19 patients in hospital are reducing, now 1488. Our ICUs will remain close to their limits for some time yet. 210 in ICU & a further 310 receiving high acute care. Please continue to protect yourself & help our hospital teams make further progress. @HSELive
— Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) January 30, 2021
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While there are now over 400 fewer people in hospital with the disease than ten days ago, a consultant in emergency medicine in Dublin has warned the “real pressure” will not be lifted on the hospital system for a “long time”.
Dr David Menzies said a “slow recovery” would be seen after the “very, very high” third surge of the virus.
“We don’t reach the top of the peak and suddenly, everything’s back to normal,” he said.
“All those cases are still out there, so those patients are still coming into hospital, and certainly what we’re seeing is patients who are in hospital with Covid are staying a long time, and particularly those who end up in intensive care with Covid.
“It will be a long time before the real pressure is lifted on the hospital system.”
Dr Menzies said the number of patients in intensive care would be the last Covid-related metric to recover following the third wave.
“Now hopefully over the next week or two we will see those numbers start to come down slowly but I suppose that’s the natural course of the illness, is that the intensive care admissions are the last link in the chain, if you like, of a patient’s journey if they’re going to be that sick,” he said.
Some 100,000 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in January — more than the total positive cases confirmed throughout all of 2020.
The milestone was reached on Friday night after 1,254 new cases were confirmed, along with 48 deaths.
The Taoiseach has said it is unlikely that the target to vaccinate the entirety of the Irish population against Covid-19 by September will be met.
Micheál Martin said he envisaged the “end of (the) year” as a new target for vaccinating all Irish citizens.
