GP hits out at unvaccinated 'taking up places' in hospitals as Covid cases rise

The State is collecting less data on virus figures, leaving hospitals in the dark about how drastic this wave may be. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

Some hospitals are introducing visitor restrictions to combat a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases as one GP criticised unvaccinated people who are "taking up places".

The State is collecting less data on virus figures, leaving hospitals in the dark about how drastic this wave may be. The rate of positivity of Covid tests is around 35%.

Professor of Health Systems at the School of Nursing in DCU, Anthony Staines, said that is an alarming figure.

"We haven't got the detailed figures we had about the number of cases in the past but looking at countries that do, say the UK for example, their number of cases is rising very sharply and ours is almost certainly doing the same," said Prof Staines.

"We are seeing some of the impact like last weekend, there were a substantial number of flights cancelled because staff were not available because they were ill at home with Covid."

He said the hope is that the number of cases will rise quickly and then drop off quickly. In the UK at the moment, cases are going up "quite steadily and quite remorselessly".

"How fast it will turn around seems to vary greatly from peak to peak and from country to country. Sometimes it comes down in a couple of weeks, sometimes it takes a good bit longer to come down.

I don't know what is going to happen here."

As hospitals struggle with rising cases of Covid, Kildare GP and Assistant Adjacent General Practice professor in Trinity College, Dr Brendan O’Shea has criticised unvaccinated people who are “taking up places” in hospitals.

It was not a good idea for people to express themselves politically by not getting vaccinated, he said.

“These people are choosing not to be immunised. Unvaccinated people are taking up places in hospitals.” 

Dr O’Shea said unvaccinated people should “get behind the science” and get vaccinated.

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“We need to protect the acute hospital system," he told Newstalk’s Pat Kenny Show.

Dr O’Shea also called on people to wear masks in public health facilities.

He said that nine out of 10 people who would come to his practice wear a mask. The tenth person would be asked to wear a mask, which would be provided.

Everyone who was eligible to get a second booster should do so as soon as possible, he urged.