DUBLIN: The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in intensive-care units of Irish hospitals hit a pandemic high of 158, data showed on Tuesday, days after the government warned of a serious risk that capacity would be overwhelmed.
Ireland had the fastest-growing incidence rate in the European Union last week, fueled by the relaxation of restrictions ahead of Christmas and the increasing prevalence of a new, more transmissible COVID-19 variant first discovered in England.
Officials on Monday reported tentative signs that a lockdown that has been in place since late December was leading to lower infection rates. But the surge in infections in late December and early January on Tuesday pushed numbers in intensive care above the mid-April peak of 155.
Ireland’s COVID-19 modelling chief said on Monday current projections showed the number of people in intensive care units rising to between 200 and 400 in the coming weeks.
The health service has 300 critical care beds but says it can surge ICU capacity safely to 375 and is working on boosting capacity further.
There were 1,700 COVID-19 patients in hospital on Tuesday, almost double the 2020 peak, the Irish health service said.
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