Covid 19 Part XXXI-187,554 ROI (2,970 deaths) 100,319 NI (1,730 deaths)(24/01)Read OP

majcos wrote: »

Letterkenny University Hospital had 113 cases with five confirmed Covid cases in ICU out of their full total of five ICU beds as of 8pm last night. They have opened a new ward since the start of the Covid pandemic and cancelled all elective surgeries, day case procedures and outpatient clinics and yet the hospital still had ambulances queuing at the door last weekend.

Ireland had 2020 cases of Covid in hospital this morning alone and 7310 people with Covid have been in hospital up to January 10th. This compares to 4332 hospitalised with influenza in last 12 month influenza season.

There was 200 people in ICU this morning with Covid and there has been 761 people admitted to ICU up to January 10th. This compares to 154 people admitted to ICU with influenza in the entire influenza season 2019/2020. Oxygen flow is under pressure in some hospitals as so many patients are on oxygen and non invasive ventilation. I have never heard this mentioned before during any influenza season.

As per the latest 14 day incidence report, 43% of those admitted are under 65 years so it is not just affecting the old and ailing. Fewer of this under 65 age group are dying but to end up in hospital on oxygen is definitely not a trivial event.

How many of those currently in hospital with Covid were admitted due to Covid I wonder? How many of those in the figures of Covid positive in hospitals are asymptomatic and how many are being actively treated for symptoms of Covid? Would be interesting to see those numbers and get an idea of what the real affect is. There's an obvious affect on our ICU's but I wonder what the real affect is overall.

niallo27 wrote: »

You can't ask them questions I'm afraid.

No, Niall. You keep asking and we can't answer.

TonyMaloney wrote: »

No, Niall. You keep asking and we can't answer.

Answer my question about Cork, you posted in December it had no icu beds left when we had 30 or so in icu, how is cork coping through this now. Genuine question. These are icu beds not routine procedures that have been cancelled to free up beds.

pjohnson wrote: »

And they did this by having to reduce/cancel non-urgent treatment.


People trying to complaining about covid being exagerrated because hospitals arent overrun yet AND complain about cancer screening etc. being affected are severely detached from reality.

Nearly a year into this and some still dont get the basics.

More accurate to state that it doesn`t suit them to get the basics because of................ well who the **** knows.

majcos wrote: »

They opened another ward that Sunday evening when ambulances were queued up outside which was no easy feat and depended on staff volunteering to come in to work on very short notice when not rostered to be on duty and already exhausted from poorly staffed shifts and excessive overtime hours.

Hospitals are calling in doctors outside their usual working hours to discharge further patients to make room for even sicker ones. Patients are being discharged home people on oxygen with online oxygen monitoring, something which would not have normal practice any other winter for an acute respiratory illness. Home oxygen usually only used for chronic illnesses.

See I read your version and I read the version from this article, ambulances were parked outside for one evening, they opened new beds with extra staff and it was over in a few hours. They actually apologogised for the situation as it was their fault they did not have cover, but of course this does not go with the narrative of a disaster zone.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40204493.html

niallo27 wrote: »

Answer my question about Cork, you posted in December it had no icu beds left when we had 30 or so in icu, how is cork coping through this now. Genuine question. These are icu beds not routine procedures that have been cancelled to free up beds.

I'm no expert on Cork uni hospital, but from hse data, last night they had 16 covid in icu and 1 free bed.

Always_Running wrote: »

That's unexpected drop.

Hopefully it is Post weekend discharges as opposed to fatalities.

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare
Was just looking at cumulative hospitalisations in UK and the numbers are mad.1 in every 185 Brits have been hospitalised with covid by now. Sounds surreal

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

They cancelled everything. If you do 10 major operations 2 or 3 will need some icu time.

The operations are being cancelled even if it has negative health impacts.

There is major non covid care implications of the current scenario.

Stents? Bypasses? Valve surgeries? Kidney transplants?

All gone or at a much lower rate than normal to save capacity for covid.

Don't even think about getting smaller operations. Knee replacements or hip replacements arent even worth thinking about.

It cancelled all non essential services, they did not cancel everything.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40203416.html

majcos wrote: »

About 80% are admitted directly due to Covid. Around 20% acquired it in hospital but many of these patients are also symptomatic due to Covid and at high risk from it. Post-operative patients who acquire Covid have been found to have a high post-operative mortality rate and a high admission rate to ICUs.

For the small percentage that are asymptomatic but have Covid detected, this still adds strain to the operation of the hospital as they still need to be isolated and pose a risk to staff and other patients. If asymptomatic from Covid, will be discharged as soon as possible.

Where did you get these figures if you mind me asking, nobody has been able to find them anywhere.

Thanks for the great replies lads, good to have decent back and forth. Do you feel that too much priority is been given to covid at the expense of other health services.

niallo27 wrote: »

Thanks for the great replies lads, good to have decent back and forth. Do you feel that too much priority is been given to covid at the expense of other health services.

If covid wasnt so rampant then other services could continue. Can you not see how the two situations are linked? The covid overflow has to go somewhere. Therefore other health services have to be reduced.

niallo27 wrote: »

Thanks for the great replies lads, good to have decent back and forth. Do you feel that too much priority is been given to covid at the expense of other health services.

Not at the moment. I don't think there is much choice.

Funsterdelux wrote: »

Big Sammy is optimistic and hopeful!

I am waiting for the nurse guy to do a Part 2.

niallo27 wrote: »

Thanks for the great replies lads, good to have decent back and forth. Do you feel that too much priority is been given to covid at the expense of other health services.

Well if someone needs an icu bed they need an icu bed.

If they don't get they are probably dead.

A lot of icu beds required for non covid care are elective. They are for very major procedures or reserve capacity in case of complications in less major procedures. Hospitals use them like a resource.

I have 4 free icu beds so I can do 2 major operations that will need icu for recovery and 3 minor operation that have a slim chance of going wrong and I can probably still have a free bed for reserve.

There's a car crash and two people need icu. I need to push back some of those surgeries or transfer icu patients to other hospitals.

Hospitals have always flexed on and off 'elective' surgeries based on what is going on.

The problem is when pressure is sustained. Things get pushed back and waiting lists grow. Unfortunately it's the only option.

We either take covid patients and say we have no icu room for you or we take cardiac patients and say we need to push your operation back.

For many of these patients they can suffer a further delay of a few weeks but after that the delay can have life changing effects.

For me the level of covid in the community and hospitals increases the risks for cardiac patients and other major operations (if they are in for a bypass and they get covid they are probably dead) by enough that covid has to be treated ASAP.

We need the numbers of covid cases and covid hospitalisations and especially covid icu down so we can get back to doing other important operations.

Edit:Conceivably we could make an argument that we could do 5 bypass operations for each covid patient we don't let into icu (average stay 5 days compared to 2) but that is not an argument I would want to make.