The Department of Health has confirmed 5,959 new cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours here in the republic Of Ireland.
There remain 640 patients in our hospitals with the virus, down a mere 3 on the same figures reported yesterday, and of these, 121 people are being treated in intensive care units around the country, up 3 additional cases on yesterdays reported numbers.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has stated that the current case level is unsustainable, while Dr Ronan Glynn has cautioned that the next few weeks will be difficult for everybody.
An Taoiseach Mr Micheál Martin has called on people to use their common sense when it came to socialising, however unfortunately ‘sense’ is not all that ‘common’ it seems here in Thurles as shop keepers report that they find themselves asking individuals to “wear a mask of leave”. The usual reply is “I don’t need to wear a mask, but if you insist I will” before a mask is produced. Mr Micheál Martin has also previously warned that “personal responsibility” would be a key factor in dealing with Covid over the months to come.
Speaking recently on CNN News an Tánaiste Mr Leo Varadkar confirmed that 5% of the population remains unvaccinated. He said that our current situation is difficult, and as as a nation Ireland is crestfallen and heartbroken to find itself back into this increasing pandemic situation. He added that the 5% who are not vaccinated are causing a lot of the trouble, given that about half of people in ICU are identified as not fully vaccinated.
Sadly, of 476 patients accepted into intensive care between late June and November 2021, some 95 of these patients still remain in intensive care beds.
As of yesterday, the total number of booster immunisations within the Republic stood at 516,820, with the figure broken down as 452,999 booster doses for the general population and 63,821 extra doses for the immunocompromised.
Severe strains placed on our public health system will see a significant reduction in planned surgeries at many larger hospitals with immediate effect. To this end, the HSE are asking larger hospitals to identify how many additional surge capacity ICU beds could be created over the coming weeks.
In Northern Ireland, there are a further 1,846 positive cases confirmed in northern hospitals, with sadly 6 further deaths reported over the last 24 hours.
People need to prepare for a number of different eventualities, as it is almost impossible to pinpoint exactly how bad the Covid-19 situation will get, in the weeks ahead.
As frequently stated, a PCR test is the most accurate way to test for Covid-19.
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