Continuation of Covid cert on the agenda as 1,578 Covid cases confirmed
Speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting tomorrow morning to decide how to proceed, Micheál Martin indicated some restrictions that were due to be eased will be kept. Picture: James Connolly
The Taoiseach has indicated mask wearing, digital Covid certs and social distancing restrictions may continue beyond Friday as 1,578 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed this evening.
The five-day moving average now stands at 1,736 while the seven-day positivity rate is 8.6%.
Speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting tomorrow morning to decide how to proceed, Micheál Martin indicated some restrictions that were due to be eased will be kept.
"The continuation of the Covid cert is certainly an item on the agenda as is mask wearing and so on," said Mr Martin.
The Taoiseach said the increase in cases and hospitalisations are a cause for concern but emphasised the country is in "a much different situation" compared to this time last year thanks to the rollout of the vaccine.
Senior sources in Government have said they do not expect any new restrictions to be brought in this week, despite increasing numbers of new Covid cases, hospitalisations and ICU admissions.
A question also remains about the re-opening of nightclubs, which was also due to happen ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend.
Nphet has been meeting this afternoon to give its recommendation.
A pre-planned meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on climate goes ahead this evening but many of the same Ministers are on the Covid sub-committee and will be consulted before a meeting of coalition party leaders to decide the way forward.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) is urging to Government to give serious consideration to the impact easing restrictions will have on the health service.
The organisation says hospitals and staff are already under huge pressure, with just 12 open ICU beds available nationwide.
There are now 482 people in hospital with coronavirus, a rise of 76 since Saturday.
As of 8am this morning there are 74 Covid-19 patients in Irish intensive care units, up one over the same period.
Meanwhile, there are 460 patients in Irish public hospitals waiting on beds this morning.
In emergency departments, there are 362 patients while 98 are on trolleys elsewhere in the hospital.
University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has the highest number of patients on trolleys with 59 people waiting on beds, followed by Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) at 52 and University Hospital Galway (UHG) with 47.
In Cork, there are 27 people waiting on a bed in CUH while at the Mercy Hospital there are 21.
The HSE says all hospitals have surge capacity plans in place if required.
However, Tony Fitzpatrick of the INMO said the availability of beds is like gold dust at the moment.
"What is going to happen soon is because of the pressures of the winter, because of the pent up demand as well as the rise in cases of Covid-19, there is going to be difficulty in securing ICU beds for patients that need them," he said.
"Then it is likely that you will be looking at surge capacity."
The INMO Director of Industrial Relations also voiced concern that staff will leave the sector.
Mr Fitzpatrick said there are staff who are exhausted from dealing with all the waves of the virus.
"There is no doubt that on the frontline, they are extremely short presently and the Government needs to be very mindful of that.
"Our fear is that it is so difficult for the staff on the frontline presently that they are going to leave the service.
"If they leave the service that is going to create major problems."
The chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE), says it is time for the public "to hit the reset button" as the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 surges.
"If unvaccinated, you're at higher risk, resulting in a disproportionate impact," Paul Reid said.
"Do the right thing. For the rest of us, time to do the basics well again."
Between the end of June and the start of October, 63.2% of patients admitted to intensive care units with the coronavirus were not fully vaccinated.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said there has been a “substantial increase” in the number of walk-ins at vaccination centres in recent days.
“Really great to hear of a substantial increase at walk-in vaccine centres at the weekend, while 3,000+ registered for the first time last week,” he said.
“Booster vaccines for aged 65+ in L TRC (long term residential care) and 80+ in community continue this week. College pop-ups continue also.”
Meanwhile, European health regulators are examining an application for approval for the use of the BioNtech/Pfizer Covid vaccine in children aged 5 to 11.
It is currently authorised for use in those aged 12 and over.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says it will review the data on the vaccine, including results from an ongoing clinical study, in order to decide whether to recommend extending its use.
The EMA said the evaluation is expected to take a couple of months.
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