Health System may need to cancel elective procedures
The current Covid-19 trends are not sustainable for the health system, according to the Chief Medical Officer. There are fears the HSE may not be able to provide tests to people with symptoms due to demand, instead focusing on vulnerable groups. 4,962 more cases were reported last night, while yesterday…
Phones not being answered to contract tracers
The HSE chief executive says an increasing number of people are not answering calls from Covid-19 contact-tracers. Paul Reid says it’s a ‘concerning trend’ because they are a valuable resource to protect people against the virus. Contact-tracers identify people who were in close contact with someone who has…
Councillors receiving mileage for virtual meetings
It’s been claimed that some councillors are being paid for travel expenses as normal for meetings that are being held online. The Irish Independent reports the distance from a councillor’s home to the main offices of a council is a factor in the calculation of the annual travel-rate element…
HSE should maximise the public relations value of vaccine
A Donegal GP as called on the HSE to take advantage from the positive PR that should surround the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine. Ireland will be the second-last EU state to start vaccinating against Covid-19 even after the HSE said it would start ahead of schedule. …
CMO braced for increase in Covid cases
The Chief Medical Officer says the 744 Covid-19 cases confirmed yesterday understate how serious the outbreak is in the Republic right now. Dr Tony Holohan expects “a large increase in cases” in the days ahead following low levels of testing over Christmas. He’s urging people not to have…
HSE draft plan for nursing home vaccination released
A guidance document has been released to nursing homes with draft plans on when HSE teams will administer a Covid-19 vaccine. Under the proposals, HSE vaccination teams will travel to each of the 583 HIQA residential care facilities, both public and private, to administer two doses over a six-week period.…
Christmas Eve Covid figures – 8 deaths & 922 additional cases
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre have confirmed 8 additional deaths related to COVID-19. There has been a total of 2,192 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight Wednesday 23rd December, the HPSC has been notified of 922 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 83,073* confirmed…