A 10-year old Waterford boy whose whole family had Covid-19 had to go to hospital alone for an operation, a Tramore GP told last night's National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) briefing.
Dr Dermot Nolan from the Tramore Medical Clinic said the young boy developed acute appendicitis while his family were affected by Covid-19 and self-isolating. He had to attend University Hospital Waterford by himself.
“He had to go in alone without an adult or a parent to face an operation," Dr Nolan said.
The Tramore GP also highlighted the case of a woman who presented with new onset heart failure but refused to go to hospital for treatment because she was "terrified of contracting Covid-19" and opted not to go due to "fear".
Dr Nolan said that wave three of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the county hard.
Waterford kept Covid-19 levels very low last year, but currently has a 14-day infection rate of 990.7.
At University Hospital Waterford, as of 8pm on Monday evening, there were 125 patients with the virus - 8 of them are being treated in critical care units, according to the latest figures from the HSE.
However, modelling shows reduced interaction in the last few weeks is having a direct impact on covid case numbers chair of the Epidemiological Modelling Group said.
Philip Nolan said: “We are seeing continued rapid improvement in the disease, and seeing numbers in hospital plateauing and expect them to decrease over the coming weeks.”
While Ireland's 14-day incidence rate continues to drop and now stands at 766 per 100,1000 population, indicating that the impact of restrictions is being felt, a further seven deaths and 1,372 cases were confirmed by health officials.
