Surge of Covid being held back by vaccinated in community

A surge in Covid-19 cases, is being held back by a floodwall of vaccine protection and is holding tight, the Health Service Executive's (HSE) Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry has said.

This comes with a backdrop of 44 patients waiting for general beds admissions at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) this Thursday morning.

And this is also separate to the 21 patients that are currently hospitalised at LUH after contracting Covid-19.

Three patients are currently being treated in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. 

The comments by the HSE CEO also come with the announcement of walk in vaccination clinics taking place tomorrow and over the weekend in Carndonagh, Buncrana and Stranorlar. 

And while the rate of infection in the Donegal has been lowered comparatively with other counties in recent weeks, there were still 1,121 Covid-19 cases in the county in the two week period up to Tuesday.

In essence, what is being said, is that while we have had hgh numbers of Covid in both the county and the country, compared to earlier in the year, those that have been vaccinated are still getting Covis, but requiring less hospitalisations and admissions to Intensive Care Units.

And the other message is that people who remain unvaccinated are still at risk from people who have been vaccinated, as they can still carry the disease and spread it. 

Earlier in the week the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) welcomed the decision to extend vaccine boosters to healthcare workers.

“This decision was made later than we would have liked. We now need to see a rapid rollout of the vaccine boosters to healthcare workers to make up for lost time. The vaccine supply and capacity to do so is there,” they said.

And Letterkenny University Hospital also had the second highest numbers of patients (943) on trolleys for the month of October after Limerick (1,369) and ahead of Galway (828) and Cork hospitals (688), they revealed.

The HSE’s own TrolleyGar figures do not consider patients that are waiting on trolleys in wards to be part of that waiting list, as these are described as “escalation spaces” but the HSE still agree that those waiting on beds are still far too high. 

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha that October’s trolley figures are an indication of what lies ahead for patients and staff in our health service if action is not taken. 

“These figures come in the backdrop of rapidly increasing Covid cases, increased hospitalisations and an increased number of nurses and midwives becoming infected with Covid-19.”

Donegal walk-in clinics

Walk-in Covid-19 vaccination clinics are taking place in Carndonagh, Buncrana and Stranorlar this week to make it as easy as possible for anyone who has yet to receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, to get vaccinated.

People who are waiting for their second dose Pfizer vaccine may also attend one of the walk-in clinics, once the interval of 21 days between doses has been reached.

In addition, anyone who had a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and does not want a second dose of AstraZeneca, can come to one of the clinics and get a Pfizer second dose vaccine instead.

The Donegal based vaccination clinics times and venues are as follows and no appointment is needed:

Carndonagh – Colgan Hall: Friday November 5 : 12noon to 8pm; Saturday November 6: 10am to 6pm; Sunday November 7: 10am to 6pm

Buncrana – Gateway Hotel: Friday November 5: 12noon to 8pm; Saturday November 6 : 10am to 6pm; Sunday November 7: 10am to 6pm

Stranorlar - St. Mary’s Parish Centre, F93 EK52: Friday November 5 : 12noon to 8pm

Saturday November 6: 10am to 6pm and Sunday November 7: 10am to 6pm