ALMOST THREE-QUARTERS of patients in hospital with Covid-19 at the moment are not receiving oxygen therapy, a new review examining data from nine hospitals has found. 

The Infectious Diseases Society of Ireland (IDSI) gathered information on the clinical status of 453 admitted patients who tested positive for Covid for a review, which was conducted on Tuesday of this week. 

There were 1,062 Covid patients in hospital who had tested positive for Covid that day, according to the daily departmental figures. 

The review found that 42% of patients in hospital with the disease did not  have Covid-19 symptoms at presentation. 

The Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said earlier this week that the number of patients with the disease in hospital who were admitted for other reasons could be around 30%.

Nearly three-quarters (71%) of patients with Covid admitted to hospital were not receiving supplemental oxygen, which the IDSI said reflects “a significantly less severe form of disease than seen during previous waves”. 

Unvaccinated patients comprised 8% of those who did not require oxygen and almost one-third (32%) of those requiring oxygen or ventilation.

“This is a significant overrepresentation of patients who were unvaccinated being treated for severe Covid-19,” the IDSI said in a statement.

The IDSI said that the overall number of patients admitted with Covid is high, but the number of people with severe disease requiring oxygen support is “relatively low”. 

“These data support the important role that vaccination has played in reducing Covid-19 disease severity,” the IDSI said. 

The review was held on 11 January using data from nine hospitals around the country.

Data was collected from 453 admitted patients which represented approximately 45% of all admitted patients in Ireland with positive cases as of 11 January.

Figures from yesterday show that 1,011 people are in hospital with Covid-19, 92 of whom are in intensive care. 

18,904 additional Covid-19 cases were reported yesterday.

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More