Ireland’s summer wave of Covid-19 is in full swing, and hospital numbers are beginning to see a slight rise, mainly among those who are unvaccinated or are overdue a booster dose.
Today, the Beacon Hospital's Deputy Director and Head of the Long Covid clinic, Professor Seamus Linnane, said one issue they're experiencing is a large number of patients who are being admitted to the hospital for something non-Covid related and are then testing positive for the virus.
This comes as the number of patients in hospitals nationwide with Covid rose to 794 as of 8:00 am this morning - which marks an increase of 18 patients within a 24-hour period.
Speaking to RTE’s Morning Ireland, Professor Linnane said another issue we are now seeing is a type of ‘Covid phenomenon’ where people are having "recurrent infection" - some as much as four times since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
Where most people build up natural immunity for several months against the virus from a previous infection, doctors are now reporting more and more patients coming to them after numerous infections - which “poses increased worry and an increased risk.”
"The phenomenon of people having recurrent Covid infection, people coming to us and reporting that they've had two, three, or even four Covid infections over the course of the pandemic, is becoming increasingly common,” he explained.
"Certainly in our Long Covid clinic, we're seeing it is quite a problem, in that if somebody is getting over an extended Covid episode, then to get another Covid infection certainly poses an increased worry and an increased risk."
Professor Linnane went on to recommend that people begin wearing masks again and said it will effectively reduce the transmission of the virus over the coming weeks and months.
"Masking is important, masking works. Masking reduces the risk of getting an infection, depending on the type of masks that you are using,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Ministers are due to sign off on new laws allowing the Government to bring back mandatory mask-wearing in certain settings.
At this point, it is understood that no specific settings are being considered and that this is simply a “precautionary move.”
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