4 covid patients at St Lukes hospital for Carlow-Kilkenny are in Intensive Care

A member of NPHET says we’re in for a ‘bumpy ride’ over the next month and more Covid restrictions are ‘possible’.

The number of Covid patients in hospital stands at 437 and 86 are in ICU – the highest in seven months.

There are 13 covid patients in St Luke’s hospital for Carlow-Kilkenny with 4 of them in Intensive Care.

The most recent update from the Health Protection surveillance centre has Carlow in the top 3 still for the highest incidence rates of the virus with 290 cases confirmed in the week up to midnight on Monday.

There were 202 in Kilkenny in the same time frame but per 100 thousand population Carlow’s 7 day incidence rate is 509 while Kilkenny’s is 203 – the fourth lowest in the country.

Waterford has the highest.

Dr Mary Favier of NPHET says cases have increased in 24 counties over the past week – and the hospital situation could worsen:

“The cases of over 2 thousand in the last couple of days will really not kick through into our hospital service until 2-3 or 4 weeks time. So we really have a bit of a bumpy ride to come. It is possible that we would look at renewed restrictions, but it’s not probable”