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Increase in Covid hospital admissions is 'worrisome'

Increase in Covid hospital admissions is 'worrisome'

A consultant in infectious diseases at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland says there appears to be a slight increase in hospitalisations due to Covid.

352 patients with Covid-19 are being treated in hospitals nationwide with 15 Covid patients being treated at University Hospital Waterford.

Four additional cases were confirmed at UHW in the past 24 hrs, but there are no patients with the virus being treated in ICU at the local hospital.

Professor Eoghan de Barra who's a consultant in infectious diseases says intensive care units are getting by but covid admissions will have knock-on effects.

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"Non-Covid capacity is going to be strained and should the trend continue it is really worrying.

"We know that there is good evidence that the groups that NIAC have recommended for a booster jab have a poorer antibody response and there is data that infection rates are slightly higher in some countries that are further along this than us," he said.

Eoghan de Barra feels should this trend in high case numbers continue it's 'really worrisome' especially as we head towards winter.

1,940 new cases of coronavirus were detected yesterday (October 9th) in the Republic, while 2,002 cases were reported on Friday (October 8th).

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The latest local electoral breakdown of cases published this week found Waterford City South has the second-highest 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland.

193 cases were recorded in the two weeks to Monday October 4th to give an incidence rate of 858.7 per 100,000 people - a rise of 107% since in the space of a week.

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