‘Exit wave’ of Covid-19 puts hospitals under more pressure

While few patients are developing serious illness, persistently high case numbers are affecting the HSE’s ability to deliver non-Covid care

Paul Reid, HSE chief executive: ‘The levels of sickness and illness are not as severe or extreme as we would have experienced previously.’ Picture: Rollingnews

The current wave of coronavirus is not translating into large numbers of patients developing serious illness, but the HSE has said it is affecting a hospital system that was already dealing with record levels of attendance for non-Covid care.

Last week, daily Covid-19 cases in the community continued to rise to more than 14,000, while the number of people in hospital with the virus hit its highest level in over a year, at 1,090 cases. ...