The general manager of University Hospital Waterford (UHW) has expressed cautious optimism in relation to the Covid-19 situation at the hospital.
For the first time this year, there are no positive in-patients at UHW. At the peak of the hospital covid crisis on January 24th there were 127 patients with the virus on site.
As of this morning (Wednesday), there was only one person waiting on a swab result. 31 patients are on a pathway, which means they are in other hospitals or healthcare facilities or they may have travelled and contracted the virus.
Out of 656 samples tested yesterday (Tuesday), there were only 2 positives, from previously diagnosed cases.
Grace Rothwell says there is a lot to be optimistic about today:
"So no new positives out of 656 samples through the lab yesterday, which is great, and they are all very positive indicators for us and for Waterford in general."
However, Ms Rothwell did caution that there are still higher levels in the community than they would like:
"Even with no new cases we still see positive cases from the community presenting to the ED (emergency department) so people who remain unwell".
Vaccination programme
Meanwhile, the vaccination programme in Waterford is advancing well, it's expected those in the 65 to 69 age group will be completed this week.Ms Rothwell says 10 to 12 booths are currently in operation at the mass vaccination centre at the WIT Arena, which is vaccinating around 700 people a day.
It's hoped this will be ramped up even further in the coming weeks, with the over 60s to begin next week.
Registration has opened for those in the 50 - 59 age bracket this week.
Grace Rothwell says there have been logistical challenges in the rollout and it has proved a bit "stop start" with the supply of the vaccine, there have also been issues around recruitment, but she says "we are well well well operational now".
The impact of the vaccination programme is also being felt positively within the hospital itself. There have been no outbreaks, no positive cases among staff or hospital-acquired infections in a number of weeks.
Grace Rothwell says it's very positive news.
It comes as there were 38 people with Covid-19 in intensive care last night — the first time the figure has fallen below 40 this year. Across public hospitals, there were 132 patients with the virus.
24 hours
Consideration is being given to running Covid-19 mass vaccination centres on a 24-hour basis.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) asked the health service to consider the move, as a possible measure to scale up the rollout of the programme.
In response, the HSE said that the only restrictions on the rollout are vaccine supply and people not presenting for vaccination. It said it would extend the rollout as needed to match deliveries.
It’s time to do the blindingly obvious, which is vaccinate everybody at the fastest pace
The latest figures show some 1.6 million vaccines have been administered in Ireland, including 1.1 million first doses, as vaccine registration is set to continue for the over-50 cohort over the coming days.
Consultant pathologist at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital, Professor Bill Tormey, has urged the Government to “just get everybody vaccinated”.
“I think that what we should do now is just get everybody vaccinated over the age of about 18, and I think it’s time to do the blindingly obvious, which is vaccinate everybody at the fastest pace you possibly can,” he told Newstalk radio.
“[This] will mean that the HSE will have to remove some of the restrictive practices on vaccinations and come to some arrangement with the pharmacists and everybody who gives out the vaccine.”
'Absolutely predictable'
Prof Tormey said rising Covid infection rates were “absolutely predictable”.
The five-day moving average of new infections has increased by eight per cent in the past week, from 437 last Tuesday to a current 470.
With 383 new cases of the virus reported yesterday, the median age of those infected was 28.
Five of those cases were in Waterford where the 5-day moving average number of cases in Waterford is 9.
“Anybody who bothers to drive around any open space that the younger generation congregate in could see crowds hanging around all last week, and when the weather was good the week before, there were even bigger crowds hanging around, so there would have been a lot of crowd transmission,” Prof Tormey said.
'No need'
Responding to the possibility of 24-hour vaccinations on Wednesday morning, the general secretary of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union said there would be “no need” for the move if pharmacies could provide vaccinations.
Darragh O’Loughlin told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show that Covid vaccines needed to be more accessible and 50 per cent of people lived within one kilometre of a pharmacy, making them very local.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is to consult the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) on the latest revisions proposed for the State’s vaccine programme.
The HSE has outlined a plan that will stick to the current age-based approach, but offer vaccines to younger people currently generally recommended only for the over-50s.
As of May 2nd, some 31 per cent of the population had been administered with at least one vaccine dose and 12 per cent of adults are now fully vaccinated.
Ireland is set to receive at least 4.8 million vaccines each year in 2022 and 2023 under a new deal struck between Pfizer and the EU.
by Julie Smyth with additional reporting from breakingnews.ie
