The UL Hospitals Group is expecting a surge in Covid patients in the Midwest, as concern mounts over the spread of the Delta variant.
The Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, Dr Cillian De Gascun has said it will “almost certainly” be dominant here in two weeks time, with the variant, which first originated in India making up 55% of cases in this country last week.
The rate of hospitalisation has remained low in the region in recent weeks, with latest figures showing there were only two patients admitted to the Covid ward at University Hospital Limerick on Monday and none in ICU.
There continues to be ongoing transmission in the community, however, with Public Health Midwest confirming 80 cases in Clare, 331 in Limerick and 29 cases in North Tipperary over the past fortnight.
But Group Clinical Lead for Covid-19 and Consultant in Infectious Diseases, Dr. Sarah O’Connell has been telling Clare FM’s Fiona Cahill that while the vaccination programme will help to keep the number of hospitalisations down, increased attendances are expected.
