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Tag Archives: Covid-19

Covid-19 Appeal Reduce Your Social Contacts

CLARE people have been urged to limit their social activity following a dramatic rise in confirmed Covid-19 cases in recent weeks. Public Health Mid-West are advising people in Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary to limit social activity in order to reduce the level of Covid-19 in the community. Infection rates have doubled in the region in recent weeks, which is similar to January levels. Unlike the January wave, the Department of Public Health are seeing a lower incidence of illness and death thanks to the successful vaccination programme to date. However, due to the sharp escalation in new cases in recent weeks, breakthrough infections with serious outcomes are more likely to occur. The department continue to encourage everyone to register for a free Covid-19 vaccine, to avail of a second dose if they have not already done so, and if eligible to avail of the booster vaccine when they receive their text message from the HSE. On November 8, there …

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TD: UHL ‘most overcrowded under-resourced hospital in state’

UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick has been criticised as “most overcrowded and under-resourced hospital in the state” by Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne, as the number of patients on trolleys increased from 70 to 77 this week, writes Dan Danaher. New figures produced by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation show UHL was the most overcrowded hospital with 1,269 patients on trolleys last month. This compares to 943 patients waiting for beds in University Hospital Letterkenny: 829 in University Hospital Galway and 688 in University Hospital Cork. In fact, the number of patients on trolleys increased fivefold in UHL from 244 in October 2013 to 1,269 in October 2021. The number of patients on trolleys in Ennis Hospital increased from just three in October 2020 to 30 last month. The current levels of Covid-19 have had an impact on staffing. The number of staff on Covid-19 related leave has increased from 50 last week to 71 this week. In addition, there are 27 staff …

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HSE suspends walk-in Covid-19 testing but continues booking system

  THE HSE has suspended walk-in testing for Clare people presenting with Covid-19 symptoms due to a dramatic surge in demand. More than 5,900 tests were completed in Ennis in the last two weeks of October, and this has continued into this week with a further 1,500 tests conducted between Monday and Wednesday. This trend is reflected throughout the Mid West Region, where more than 43,000 tests were conducted last month. The huge increase in demand means that walk-in testing cannot be accommodated at this time, and tests are only available by booking in advance. In fact, the HSE Mid West Community Healthcare, which operates Covid-19 Test Centres across the region, including in Ennis, is now conducting more tests than at any other stage since the onset of the pandemic. The Ennis Covid-19 Test Centre is located at Block 1 Ballymaley Business Park, Ennis. People attending Test Centres will be required to verify their pre-booked appointments upon arrival, and it …

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One in every fourteen people in Clare has contracted Covid-19

ALMOST one in 14 Clare people have had Covid-19, while the Ennistymon Local Electoral Area is one of Ireland’s blackspots for the virus at the moment, being the sixth worst in the country. Up until midnight on Sunday, 8,221 people in Clare had contracted Covid-19 at some point. The Ennistymon Local Electoral Area was the sixth worst area of the country for prevalence of Covid in the 14 days up to October 18, the most recently available figures. With a population of 16,408 in the Ennistymon LEA, there were 171 cases in the two week period. To put it in context, the Ennistymon LEA had a 14-day incidence rate of 1,042.2 per 100,000 of population. That is more than twice the national average figure of 493. The Ennis Local Electoral Area was also well in excess of the national average, with a rate of 672.9 cases per 100k of population.  The other three Local Electoral Areas in the county, Killaloe, …

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Cratloe Nursing home free of Covid-19 and makes moves to address cleaning concerns

RESIDENTS and staff in a Cratloe Nursing Home have remained free from Covid-19 up to August 18 last, according to a new report from an independent health watchdog. There were 32 residents living in Sancta Maria Nursing Home, Gallows Hill, Cratloe, when inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) conducted an inspection last August. The centre was deemed compliant with regulations on persons in charge, contract for provision of services, visits, individual assessment and care plan, health care, and residents’ rights. It was found to be substantially compliant with standards on staffing, training and staff development, records, governance and management, complaints procedure, infection control, fire precautions, individual assessment and care plan, and protection. The inspector had concerns that the entire centre and equipment could not be cleaned to the standard required during a Covid-19 pandemic by one housekeeping staff member. On the day of inspection there was one housekeeper whose duties included cleaning, laundry and assisting with kitchen …

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Fifteen residents and staff of nursing home had Covid-19 – report

NINE staff members and six residents tested positive for Covid-19 in an Ennistymon long-stay residential centre, a new report has revealed. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) conducted a one-day risk inspection of Ennistymon Community Hospital on July 7 to monitor compliance with national regulations, and following an outbreak of Covid-19 the previous January. One resident with Covid-19 died, according to a HIQA inspection report. At the time of this inspection, residents and staff had completed their required period of isolation and the outbreak had been declared over by public health on February 23. The centre, which is run by the Health Service Executive (HSE), had 15 residents on the day of the inspection, but has the capacity to accommodate 27. It was deemed to be compliant with national regulations on staffing, training and staff development, governance and management, complaints procedure, visits, infection control, fire precautions, individual assessment and care plan, health care, protection and residents’ rights. Inspectors found …

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UHL problems likened to ‘a car crash in slow motion’

HIGH levels of overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), the cancellation of outpatients appointments, and spiralling waiting lists have been described as akin to watching a “car crash in slow motion”. As UHL struggles to deal with an increase in Covid-19 patients and a dramatic increase in ED admissions, a senior government minister has admitted the pandemic record of 91 patients on trolleys in the hospital on October 12 was unacceptable. UHL had the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country on Tuesday with 47, and had the second highest number of suspected cases of the virus with 42. Seven confirmed cases were in ICU, while there was only one available ICU bed on Tuesday. In an interview with The Clare Champion, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the health service is dealing with an extraordinary global pandemic, which has put a lot of pressure and strain on hospitals. “This is going to have a knock-on impact on …

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Clare publican: continuing restrictions will shut more bars

WHILE publicans had been hoping to see the end of a dark chapter for the sector on Friday, those hopes were dashed with news that some restrictions will be staying in place, potentially until February 2022. While normal opening hours can resume, from Friday there will still be a requirement for customers to have a Covid certificate, table service must remain in place with a maximum of ten adults per table, social distancing will remain, while collection of contact tracing information will continue. Face masks are required but can be removed for the consumption of food or drinks. Specific guidelines for nightclubs are to be made available. Publican Darragh McAllister is also President of business advocacy group Ennis Chamber. Following this week’s news that restrictions will be continuing, he said there was disappointment among his colleagues. “It is hugely disappointing, but I have to admit that because there have been so many false dawns there weren’t too many hopes raised. …

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