Ireland has passed the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic this year, according to the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.
Dr Ronan Glynn says he’s hopeful people won’t have to go through what happened in January, again.
NPHET’s reporting “steady progress” against all indicators of the disease, with the latest figures showing six deaths and 829 new cases.
30 of these are in Carlow with 14 in Kilkenny.
Meanwhile the numbers in public hospitals are down around 46% from its peak last month to 1,100, while 175 patients are in Intensive Care Units.
12 people are being treated at St Luke’s General for Carlow and Kilkenny, three are in ICU and there were no admissions in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. However, 13 other patients are now showing symptoms.
At University Hospital Waterford 72 people have the virus after three new admissions with five in ICU and three more suspected of having it.
Dr Ronan Glynn says there are many reasons to be optimistic.
Vaccine
The HSE is “encouraged” by the number of nursing home staff getting vaccinated, according to a senior official.
Up to 15% of staff in some nursing homes may have refused a Covid-19 vaccine.
Yesterday, HSE CEO Paul Reid said staff in the facilities refusing the vaccine is “inexcusable”.
But Dr Lucy Jessop, the director of the HSE’s National Immunisation Office, says staff may have turned down the vaccine for a variety of reasons.
Meanwhile, over 23,000 disability staff will start to be vaccinated against Covid-19 next Monday, after being prioritised.
They will get the shot along with other front-line healthcare workers in the coming weeks.
Minister for Disabilities, Anne Rabbitte, says they can register today. (More on that here).
WHO
A World Health Organisation investigating the origins of Covid-19 is expected to make a statement later today on its findings.
They’ve been in Wuhan in China, having been denied access for months.
PTSD
More than a third of Covid patients who require a ventilator, go on to experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
New research from the UK has found those admitted to hospital suffer from intrusive thoughts – or become easily startled.
They usually want to avoid talking about what happened.
Dr Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, says patients need to be prepared.
