HOSPITALS ARE LIKELY to come under “considerable pressure” as more people are admitted with Covid-19.

In his final report to the Minister for Health as Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan said that the acute hospital system remains under considerable pressure due to the virus, and their capacity to carry out other procedures may be compromised.

Some 13,584 PCR cases were reported in the seven days to 29 June, the report said – a 36% increase on the previous week. There were 17,640 positive antigen cases.

The 5-day rolling average of daily PCR cases is 1,678.

Holohan wrote: “The Covid-19 burden on acute hospital care has increased considerably over recent weeks, from 167 on 28th May to 812 this morning (1st July), while the daily average of newly confirmed cases in hospital has also continued to increase.
Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie
“As of 28th June, 76% of cases hospitalised for Covid-19 were aged 65 and older.

“There has been a recent increase in the number of notified outbreaks in some vulnerable settings which continues to be monitored. COVID-19 mortality has remained relatively stable, although it is noted that there can be a lag in reporting of deaths.”

The BA.5 sub-variant of Omicron is now the most dominant strain in Ireland, accounting for 43% of all infections.
BA.4 and BA.5 are dominant in several EU countries. The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) has reported that case rates in the over-65 age group have increased in most European countries where data is available.

Holohan wrote: “ECDC has also reported that a number of countries in the region have experienced increasing trends in hospital and/or ICU admissions/occupancy. ECDC further highlights that the BA.4/BA.5 wave has peaked in Portugal, which has reported a sharply reducing trend in case rates among people aged 65 and older for the last four weeks.

“In summary, a number of epidemiological indicators have deteriorated in recent weeks suggesting that levels of SARS-CoV-2 transmission have increased.

Current public health advice includes the following:

• Anyone with Covid-19 symptoms should self-isolate until 48 hours after their symptoms are mostly or fully gone
• Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 should self-isolate for 7 days from when they first started showing symptoms
• Masks are recommended on public transport and in healthcare settings
• Meet up outdoors if possible

Holohan said in the report that “it remains important to provide clear guidance and communication with the public on the evolving disease profile and a cultural shift towards embedding individual and collective personal behaviours to mitigate against Covid-19 and other respiratory infections