There is “plenty of concern” in Government over the surge in Covid-19 cases as Ireland recorded almost 40,000 infections in just three days.
However, there is no discussion about the return of restrictions despite a senior doctor describing the current situation in hospitals the worse he’s witnessed in his career.
HSE boss Paul Reid also appeared to challenge Professor Philip Nolan’s comments that the current surge is an “exit wave.”
Mr Reid said: “In fact, all our experience is that it is increasing..in terms of the scale of transmission in the community, but particularly in terms of the numbers of hospitalisations we're seeing.”
Senior Government sources have said they would expect up to 2,000 people in hospital “in the next week.”
However, the source noted there are just 54 people in ICU with 20 ventilated.
The Government source said the “only thing possible” is stricter messaging and rules on mask wearing, but appeared to say it would serve as a “marginal benefit at this stage.”
They said there is “plenty of concern” about the increase in cases but downplayed any suggestion there would be a significant movement from the Government to bring back any restrictions.
Mr Reid said the healthcare system is facing “huge stress” with 1,625 Covid positive patients in hospital - a rise of 56 on Sunday.
The highest hospital numbers occurred in January 2021 and the HSE is "getting close to those levels now,” he added.
He said mask wearing "is part of the solution" and said he would urge people to get their booster.
Around 720,000 people are now eligible for their booster, having contracted the disease at Christmas.
Mr Reid said: "When we look at hospitalisations at the moment, 35% of those who are positive with Covid haven’t had a vaccine and 50% of people in ICU haven’t had a booster.”
When asked if this Covid-19 wave might be peaking, Mr Reid told RTE there were no indications or modelling to suggest there was a downward trend.
He said there is evidence in other countries that it would peak in a few weeks, but from a hospital perspective they expect to be dealing with this wave "well throughout April.”
President of the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine, Dr Fergal Hickey, said the situation in hospitals at the moment is "probably the worst I've ever seen in my career.”
Dr Hickey said there are large numbers of patients on trolleys and hospitals are "teeming with Covid".
He said: "That’s the reality of it, the elastic band has broken at this stage," he said.
"They’re [people] arriving for all kinds of reasons but what we’re discovering is that there is a proportion of patients who are not symptomatic and turn out to have Covid.
"We cannot admit them to a bed adjacent to somebody who is vulnerable, so we have to find a means of trying to isolate them and that’s really difficult in practice."
Meanwhile, the Irish Mirror understands that Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will not be bringing a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday with the finalised group that will replace NPHET.
It is likely to be brought to Cabinet the following week.
It’s understood Minister Donnelly is keen to have more females involved and a “broader range of expertise.”
The advisory group that will replace NPHET was recommended to have 10 members by Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan.
However, it’s likely the group will be bigger, with less than 20 people involved, according to a senior health source.
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