Digital Desk Staff
Over a fifth of people booked to get a Covid-19 vaccine in Drogheda on Tuesday did not turn up for their appointment.
As the Irish Examiner reports, of those due for the jab, 89 did not arrive or inform the HSE they would not be attending.
Imelda Munster, Sinn Féin TD for Louth, said it is unfair to those who are still awaiting their vaccine but added there may have been a communications error.
"There is a feeling that because it was such a high figure in one day, there may have been some communications error. People did not get notified for one reason or another," said Ms Munster.
"If that is not the case then people who do not wish to get the vaccine just have to cancel their appointment well in advance."
The vaccine portal has opened today for those aged 48. The vaccination of people in their 40s will take place this month and extend into June. Those people can register by phone at 1850 24 1850 or online.
Critical care units
Yesterday, Nphet reported 503 further cases of Covid-19 and confirmed there are 101 Covid patients in hospital, of which 38 are in ICU.
Dr Alan Gaffney, from the Intensive Care Society, says critical care units are still busy with Covid patients.
“Thirty to forty patients would be about 15 per cent of our total ICU capacity. Over the last year we have had a 10 per cent increase in capacity so you can see that it is certainly taking up the extra beds," said Dr Gaffney.
While the numbers in ICU are significantly down from January when there were over 200 Covid patients in ICU, Dr Gaffney said the decline has slowed down.
The figures indicate that there has been neither an increase or a decrease in the ICU numbers.
“There is still Covid in the community and we are not all fully vaccinated yet, we will continue to see a proportion of patients who need to come into the hospital and a smaller proportion of those will become sick enough to need to go into intensive care,” said Dr Gaffney.
