The number of people with Covid-19 in hospitals across the Republic has passed 1,000 for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, which HSE chief executive Paul Reid has described as a ‘sad milestone’.
As of 8am this morning, there are 1,022 people with Covid-19 in hospitals in the state, of whom 89 are being treated in intensive care units.
The number of people with Covid-19 in Galway hospitals has also risen according to the latest HSE data, with 71 people with the disease now receiving care at University Hospital Galway and six people at Portiuncula Hospital.
Confirmed cases in critical care at UHG has increased once again to six, while there is one patient with the disease in ICU in Ballinalsoe.
New restrictions on education, childcare and construction were announced yesterday by the government after an alarming increase in the number of daily cases reported by the Department of Health over the past week.
Health officials and the government have urged people to stay at home as much as possible in order to get the virus under control once again.
But there are grave concerns about the daily rise in hospitalisations across the state, with hospitals under increasing strain due to the number of cases and staff off because of the disease.
At University Hospital Galway, there are just two ICU beds available and seven general beds, while at Portiuncula Hospital there are no ICU beds and just one general bed available, as of 8pm yesterday.
