IRELAND: The Health Service Executive's Chief Clinical Officer has said just over half of people with Covid-19 in hospitals across the country are "actually in hospital because they are sick with Covid".
The majority are testing positive for Covid-19 at hospitals, according to Dr. Colm Henry of Ireland.
In hospitals around the nation as of 8 am, there were 905 patients with Covid-19, an increase of one over yesterday at the same time.
One less than yesterday, 35 of these are in intensive care units with the virus.
According to the Department of Health, 37 deaths due to Covid-19 occurred in the week leading up to July 6.
According to Dr. Henry, the Omicron type "grows more rapidly than earlier variants."
"These new sub-variants have an additional growth advantage, so it is displacing prior variants," he added. "It is also likely more transmissible, may be able to elude immunity, but not generating as much significant sickness potentially in the sense of intensive care units."
Last week, some 41,000 PCR tests were performed on members of the more "vulnerable group," such as the elderly and those with underlying medical issues.
"Just over 20,000 antigen tests reported positive," or roughly 36% of those tests, were positive.
Dr Henry said that: "We are in week four or five of a six-week plateau ....after which we expect the case numbers to fall in the community - but a lag time before that begins to see relief in the hospital."
He said there was a "lag time" between infection in the community and people requiring hospitalisation.
Dr. Henry emphasised the significance of following the vital public health recommendations.
He advised anyone who were ill or experiencing symptoms to isolate themselves and keep doing so for at least 48 hours after the symptoms subsided.
Regarding immunisation, he expressed disappointment that more than half of those hospitalised with Covid-19 or testing positive in the hospital have not had their booster.
" A third of those who test positive in hospitals haven't even finished their basic immunisation series."
A little more than half of the 730,000 individuals who qualified for the second booster dose have already received it, he said.
People with a weak immune system or those who are 65 years of age or older fall into this category.
"Perhaps there isn't the same level of terror. There is a feeling that this is no longer there. However, we are aware that vaccination rates decline, especially in the populations for which the second booster is advised. Those with underlying medical issues include older folks, he noted.
Dr. Henry urged those who qualify to take advantage of the chance to receive their second booster.
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