The Chief Executive of the HSE has said that last week's announcement of the removal of most Covid-19 restrictions has given everyone, including health staff, "a great lift".
However, Paul Reid said health services across the country are still very busy. Speaking at a HSE briefing, he said health services are dealing with "a good win behind us now" in terms of being on the "right side of the slope" with the Omicron variant.
He said there are 711 Covid-19 patients in hospital, down 28 on yesterday. The number of patients in intensive care remains unchanged at 74. "53% of those hospitalised cases of Covid were in for an initial diagnosis of Covid, and 47% have been admitted for a different illness and subsequently diagnosed with Covid," Mr Reid said. "That 47% are asymptomatic primarily, but infectious, so we still have to take the same process of controls and isolation in our hospital system as we work through those numbers. "But thankfully ...
the level of severity is not as severe and the length of stay is continuously coming down as well." Mr Reid told the briefing that there were many initiatives put in place over the last two years that they do see as part of the future of the health system, such as operating much more as an integrated health system.