HSE boss Paul Reid has said health staff are facing even more pressure saying he does not feel as though the peak of this wave of Covid-19 has been reached in terms of staff impact or hospitalisation.
He revealed the percentage of hospitalised cases coming through from the total number of positive cases on a daily basis is significantly down on previous waves.
He also conceded that the number of people in ICU are holding steady for now.
“We all want to avoid hospitalisation and the best way to avoid hospitalisation is to avoid getting Covid, ” he said.
Letterkenny University Hospital has been severely impacted by the loss of staff through Covid.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Reid said the average stay for Covid patients is around six to seven days.
He said that while patients still require the same amount of care as previously, the number of people who need advanced respiratory support has dropped in proportion to previous cases.
He said that although the severity of the Omicron variant may not be as strong as other variants, those people who are in hospital are not there for minor illness.
