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Hospital chief says Ireland on 'upward curve' of fourth wave of Covid-19 infections

Patients aren’t becoming as sick as during the third wave, Tony Canavan said.

IRELAND IS AT the start of a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, according to the CEO of Mayo University Hospital, which saw an outbreak of coronavirus cases in recent days. 

Tony Canavan said the fresh wave of infections will put hospitals under “significant pressure” despite the impact of patient mortality being unknown at present.

Canavan is the chief executive of the Saolta hospital group, which includes Mayo University Hospital and Letterkenny University Hospital, which also saw a surge in cases this week.

The two hospitals have the highest number of confirmed cases in the country, with 14 in Letterkenny and 13 in Mayo. The latest figures from the HSE show that five fresh Covid cases were confirmed in the Donegal facility yesterday.

Canavan said the hospital group was notified about the outbreak in Mayo University Hospital towards the end of last week after positive Covid-19 cases were picked up by the hospital’s screening process.

However, a number of cases were not identified by the screening process and this led to transmission within the hospital.

Canavan told RTÉ Radio 1 today that that the experience across hospitals in the Saolta group is that patients exhibiting mild symptoms of Covid-19 are being admitted for other reasons, and cases are then being identified by the screening process.

This is notably different from the third wave, when patients were presenting with serious illnesses caused by Covid-19.

“That doesn’t mean that the impact on the hospital services is any less because all patients once they’re deemed Covid-19 positive have to be managed in a particular way and that puts hospital services under significant pressure,” Canavan said.

“We’re at the start of the fourth wave, on the upward curve of the fourth wave. What we don’t know about the fourth wave yet is the extent to which it will lead to patient morbidity, in other words patients becoming very seriously ill and requiring treatment,” he added.

And also we don’t know the effects it will have in terms of patient mortality.

Canavan said that the ages of those who have tested positive range from people in their 20s to their 90s. He added some are fully vaccinated, some are partially vaccinated and some are unvaccinated.

HSE Chief Operations Officer Dr Anne O’Connor said yesterday that one in five people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 have been vaccinated.

Dr O’Connor added that people who are vaccinated and who are admitted to hospital with Covid-19 have better outcomes and they are not becoming as sick. 

As of 8pm last night, there were 96 Covid-19 patients in hospitals across Ireland. A total of 22 people were in intensive care units.

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    Mute Paul Dunning
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    Jun 5th 2020, 8:09 AM

    Hopefully the cases dont spiral . And people still social distance. We also need the economy up and running.and a bit of normality

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    Mute Logan Shepherd
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    Jun 5th 2020, 1:29 PM

    @Paul Dunning: True Paul, and seeing the affect of community spread of the virus, is the best indicator of how soon we get a degree of normality back.

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    Mute finbarr walsh
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    Jun 5th 2020, 9:05 AM

    In your survey 15% would not wear face masks on public transportation! Seriously I can’t figure what goes through some peoples minds

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    Mute CazzoA
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    Jun 5th 2020, 1:26 PM

    Win for Cork people!

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Jun 5th 2020, 2:43 PM

    I think this is a big step forward. However, the travel restrictions should just be scrapped. I live on the border of two counties yet I can travel 200 km throughout one county, but only 20 into the neighbouring county. It makes no sense in terms of staying local.

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    Mute BmcG
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    Jun 5th 2020, 2:20 PM

    Plandemic coming to an end soon there will be no second wave

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    Mute Clodagh Nic L
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    Jun 5th 2020, 4:01 PM

    @BmcG: thank you oh wise one

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    Mute Michael Byrne
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    Jun 5th 2020, 4:46 PM

    @BmcG: Does that mean I can take my tin foil hat off now???

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    Mute dowthebow
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    Jun 5th 2020, 4:53 PM

    @BmcG: unless they planned one??

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    Mute BmcG
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    Jun 5th 2020, 5:41 PM

    @Michael Byrne: take your tin foil hat off if you would like your neurons zapped with wireless data while you sleep, rewiring your brain and dampening your senses and leaving you robotic and devoid of sentimentality

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    Mute Liberty Peacock
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    Jun 5th 2020, 9:55 AM

    Brazil reached 3rd highest, of countries not corrupt and not lying about their numbers*

    Correct title

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    Mute Sean Bradley
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    Jun 5th 2020, 10:13 AM

    @Liberty Peacock: Jesus lad what do you know of Brazil? Do a little research to see how corrupt Brazil is. Worse that USA IMO.

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    Mute William Walsh
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    Jun 5th 2020, 3:52 PM

    This in not about a virus anymore. Fianna Gael are trying to find out how far they can go to control the Irish people. We are conforming like puppets on a string.

    The virus is now confined to Dublin while the rest of the country suffers from restrictions of movement which is a violation of our constitutional rights.

    Social distancing was introduced to flatten the curve. (Mission Accomplished)

    I reserve the right to exercise civil disobedience from my freedom to choose in the same way as the women of Ireland chose abortion under the banner “my body my choice supported and encouraged by Varadkar and Harris. Well my freedom, my choice.”

    Time to get people back to work and prevent more businesses going to the wall.

    Protect the elderly and the vulnerable but open up the country again

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    Mute Danny O' Mahony
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    Jun 5th 2020, 2:37 PM

    Disinfected dice. What’s the chances?

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    Mute flamrock
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    Jun 5th 2020, 2:33 PM

    Can’t believe Hollywood is already making a movie about this pandemic.you would think they would wait until it’s over.. “disgraceful.”

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    Mute andy marsh
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    Jun 5th 2020, 2:39 PM

    @flamrock: they always need a sequel……………. the virus fights back

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