Number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 more than quadrupled in past two weeks
Ireland’s health system is under “increasing strain” with a record 1,421 coronavirus patients being treated in hospitals, the HSE chief has warned.
Paul Reid said the best support the public can now give to health workers is to avoid getting sick with Covid-19.
Mr Reid said: “There’s now 1,421 people in hospital with #Covid19 (+136 today) & 120 in ICU.
“Our health system is under increasing strain. The best support we can all now give, is to avoid getting sick with Covid.
“This will help to get us out the other side of this.”
There's now 1,421 people in hospital with #COVID19 (+136 today) & 120 in ICU. Our health system is under increasing strain.The best support we can all now give, is to avoid getting sick with Covid.This will help to get us out the other side of this. #StayHome #StaySafe @HSELive
— Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) January 10, 2021
The number of people hospitalised due to the virus has more than quadrupled in the past two weeks, as 321 people were in hospital with the virus on December 27.
There were 136 additional admissions to hospitals in the past 24 hours.
Some 121 people are being treated for the virus in intensive care units (ICUs) with 17 admissions in the last 24 hours.
Hospital staff are bracing themselves for a surge in coronavirus patients as the number of cases escalates.
In a worst-case scenario, the HSE has warned admissions could reach 2,500 in hospital and 400 in ICUs by the middle of this month.
Margaret Harris from the World Health Organisation says Ireland is paying the price for allowing Christmas gatherings.
"Nobody wanted to be saying to people 'you cannot express your love for others'.
"So, having some sort of recognition of how important this is while not having a Christmas - because Christmas is about gatherings - was a pretty difficult ask.
"Unfortunately, now the price is very, very high."
Ireland’s 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population now stands at 1,162.
The reproduction number of the virus is now between 2.4 and 3, the highest level seen throughout the pandemic.
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