Masks should be worn in outdoor congregated settings, says health chief

Picture: INPHO/Gary Carr

The HSE’s chief clinical officer, Dr Colm Henry has called on the public to wear masks in outdoor congregated settings such as sporting events.

Just because bars, restaurants and nightclubs were open did not mean that people had to go out every night, he said.

Dr Henry called on people to halve their social contacts, if everyone did that, the cumulative effect would help reduce transmission of the virus.

He also urged anyone with symptoms to stay home, self isolate and book a PCR test.

When asked if he thought that Ireland would have to impose a lockdown as had been done in Austria, Dr Henry said he hoped not and pointed out that Ireland had a higher vaccination rate and had accelerated the booster campaign.

The situation now was different than last January when all other services had been cut back so that the health system was dealing with Covid only, there was also a lockdown which had broken the chain of transmission.

Now it was more complex as other services had been resumed in hospitals and there was more socialisation.

The service was not in danger ‘per se’ he said, because the vaccination programme meant that people were able to avoid hospitalisation and severe illness.

In January for every 1,000 cases, 55 people had been hospitalised, that figure was half that now, he said.

Not even the best resourced health system in the world could cope with the current Covid surge, he told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show.

Dr Henry appealed to the unvaccinated 7% to take the vaccine not just to protect themselves, but also to protect their families and friends as the virus was so much more transmissible.

ICU staff were very worried and exhausted by the rising numbers, he added. The previous adrenaline rush had not been sustainable.

The health service was not in danger ‘per se’ Dr Colm Henry said, because the vaccination programme meant that people were able to avoid hospitalisation and severe illness.

The situation last weekend in Dublin had been particularly worrying when there had been only one ICU bed available.

Dr Henry defended the HSE’s decision to seek a five day derogation for health care staff to continue working even if a close contact tests positive.

The current level of absenteeism was having a huge impact on the health service, he said.

Previously, when the situation had been much more difficult a derogation had been agreed, now most staff had been vaccinated and the HSE had to look at sustaining the service.

Staff were already receiving booster vaccines, for those who had not yet received the booster vaccine, the decision would be made by line managers, he explained.

Niac was considering the position of people who had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, following reports on the speed at which it waned.

The booster plan was to focus on the most vulnerable, that was the correct approach, he said.

On the issue of high levels of ‘no shows’ for booster vaccine appointments, Dr Henry acknowledged that repeated texts were being sent, but that the health service was “not giving up”.

As with the flu vaccine which had to be repeated every year, it was not unusual for vaccines to be repeated every year, he said.

'Immediate and urgent' action needed to relieve pressure on hospitals

Paul Reid acknowledged that Ireland did not rank well among OECD countries for ICU beds, but he said that the number had increased by 26% in the past year. Picture: Leah Farrell / Photocall Ireland

The HSE’s director general Paul Reid has acknowledged that “immediate and urgent” action is needed to address the pressure on hospitals with the rise in Covid cases.

Mr Reid said that the situation in the country’s large hospitals had become “quite precarious” and that for the next 14 days the focus will be on urgent care.

There are currently 643 Covid patients in hospital, unchanged since yesterday. There a

In January, 10% of Covid patients were in ICU, that level is now 20%, he said.

The situation was very difficult and the HSE had introduced a range of actions to mitigate such as utilising private hospitals for urgent care, cancer and cardiology treatments.

The number of private beds being accessed weekly by the HSE had risen from 1,000 to around 2,800 to 3,000 bed days per week.

The HSE was also examining what surge capacity could be drawn upon to create extra ICU beds from the private hospitals.

The extra capacity from private hospitals would provide “some relief”, but the primary focus of the larger (model four) hospitals would be on urgent care, he said.

Hospitals would have to make their own judgements and decisions on a site by site basis.

Increasing ICU beds was not just about providing the bed, Paul Reid explained, it entailed staff to support it and each ICU bed required seven highly trained nurses and it was difficult to recruit worldwide during a pandemic.

Mr Reid defended the Irish health system saying that even the best funded health services across Europe were under pressure at present because of the latest Covid wave.

Speaking on both Newstalk Breakfast and RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr Reid acknowledged that Ireland did not rank well among OECD countries for ICU beds, but he said that the number had increased by 26% in the past year.

Increasing ICU beds was not just about providing the bed, he explained, it entailed staff to support it and each ICU bed required seven highly trained nurses and it was difficult to recruit worldwide during a pandemic.

The booster campaign was being ramped up, he said and he called on all employers to facilitate staff who needed to take appointments when they were offered.

On delays in PCR tests, Mr Reid said that over the past seven days 199,250 tests had been carried out with 82% of people receiving their appointment within 24 hours.

Other providers were being engaged, more centres were now open and the defence forces would also be involved, he said.

GP referrals and people with symptoms were being prioritised for PCR testing, added Mr Reid.

Appointments could become available during the day so people should keep checking, he urged.

New Covid rules come into effect 

Weddings will have to wrap up by midnight, as hotel bars are included in the new closing times.

The Government has been warned that new regulations mandating everyone to work from home where possible, may not have the desired effect on Covid case numbers.

From today, Government advice is that everyone should revert to working from home unless it is necessary to attend the workplace in person.

This is a complete reversal of the rules that were relaxed in September.

Neil McDonnell, Chief Executive of ISME, says the economy could be damaged for little benefit.

"There is a degree of frustration on our part that the epidemiological data that was out at the start of November giving details of transmission do not suggest that the workplace is a significant vector for transmission," said Mr McDonnell.

The danger is that we could shut down offices without actually substantially improving the case load."

The reintroduction of the home from home rules will also have a knock-on impact on the wider economy, he warned.

Cafes, delis, restaurants and retailers had been expecting to return to something of a normalised level of trade in the run up to Christmas but Mr McDonnell believes that instead they will see a severe downturn in footfall.

Also from today, bars, restaurants and nightclubs will have to close at midnight.

Weddings will also have to wrap up by midnight, as hotel bars are included in the new closing times.

Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland spokesperson, Matt McGranaghan says the move will be devastating for wedding bands.

"There are certain groups out there that specialise in wedding music and corporate events and this is a major blow for them at a time when we were getting back to normality," said Mr McGranaghan.

"Now we have these further restrictions imposed which is going to have a knock-on effect and will put a lot of pressure on brides and grooms as to whether they want entertainment."