Appeal to public to 'double down' on Covid prevention measures as Tipperary hospital under pressure

Tipperary University Hospital is under serious pressure due to a surge in patients with Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses, prompting the hospital to open 15 extra beds and its manager to appeal to the public not to leave down their guard with infection prevention measures.

The Clonmel hospital’s general manager Maria Barry urged Tipperary people to “double down” on their efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 as the hospital faces another winter of intense pressure.

The number of Covid-19 patients in TUH has steadily risen over the past two weeks. Ten Covid patients were being treated there on Tuesday with one patient in the Intensive Care Unit. There were 14 more patients suspected to have Covid and awaiting test results.

Visiting was suspended to the hospital’s Medical One ward early last week due to an outbreak of Covid-19 on the ward. Ms Barry reported the outbreak has now been put under control and the suspension of visiting to Medical One was lifted on Tuesday.

Ms Barry expects the number of Covid-19 admissions to the hospital to increase further in the coming weeks as the winter progresses and impact of the further easing of Covid restrictions is felt.

She said the hospital was under a lot of pressure in relation to availability of beds for patients. Fifteen extra beds have been opened to deal with the surge in patients presenting with respiratory illnesses including Covid-19.

HSE daily hospital operations figures show all of TUH’s five ICU beds were full on Tuesday while the Irish Nurse & Midwives Organisation (INMO) daily trolley watch figures show there were three patients on trolleys in Tipperary University Hospital’s Emergency Department on Tuesday morning.

Ms Barry appealed to Tipperary people to seek treatment at their GP where possible and only present at TUH’s Emergency Department if they have a real emergency type illness. She stressed though that anyone presenting to the ED will be cared for by staff.

She reported the hospital’s Covid patients are a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

While the Covid-19 vaccine provides a lot of protection against the virus, she warned it doesn’t provide total immunity. And for elderly and medically vulnerable people who were the first to be vaccinated earlier this year, the immunity the vaccine gave them is waning until they receive a booster jab.

Ms Barry said this is why it is so important for people to continue observing infection prevention measures such as mask wearing, social distancing, hand washing and protecting yourself when socialising such as staying outdoors where possible and in well ventilated areas indoors.

“We all appreciate that people are tired but at the end of the day it’s for our community that we are doing this. There are elderly people and lots of other vulnerable people in our community. It’s really about doubling down and copping on.”

The hospital’s staff were also among the first in the county to get the Covid-19 vaccine back in January. Ms Barry said they “urgently” need to receive a vaccine booster shot as like the elderly and medically vulnerable the immunity the vaccine gave them is now waning.

“I would like to see the National Immunisation Advisory Committee making a decision on that. It would give healthcare workers a bit more confidence.”