Monthly Archives: June 2022

Introduction

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are the foundation of the response to a pandemic. Also termed as frontline workers, not only are they at a health risk but also suffer from emotional and psychological stress.

The objective of the study was to determine the emotional impact of novel coronavirus on healthcare workers.

An online survey was completed by 239 HCWsfrom five different countries during the peak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak amidst the lockdown. Their feelings and concerns as well as the safety measures they adopted were identified.

The response rate was 100%. Most of the respondents were 20-40 years old (85.36%)and working as doctors (73.22%); 44.77% were working at middle grade. The majority felt confused (19.67%), whereas others felt stressed/overworked (17.15%), unhappy (16.74%), scared (13.81%), nervous (13.39%), motivated (8.79%), and privileged (5.86%). A few felt pressurized to perform their duty (4.6%), and 69.87% felt that it was their moral obligation to continue their duty, whereas 13.39% felt administrative pressure for the same. Of the respondents, 53.97% feared transferring the disease to their family and friends, while others feared the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) (13.39%). According to the majority of the respondents (25.94%), support from family and friends had them going through the crisis. The most common safety measure adopted by the HCWs was strict hand hygiene (43.51%). The HCWs (28.87%) felt that adequate and easy access to PPE would have helped them better during the pandemic.

Healthcare institutions are responsible for protecting HCWs or frontline workers during pandemics so they can continue with their duty. From our study, we have concluded that simple protective measures as uninterrupted and easy access to PPE would have helped HCWs deal with their stress and concerns.

Since the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, the 21st century has seen numerous pandemics [1]. Epidemiologically speaking, these infections have no borders to spread because of extensive international travel [2], hence infecting huge numbers all around the globe.

Similarly, the year 2020 has been faced with a new pandemic starting in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, as unusual pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus [3,4]. This is the third outbreak caused by a coronavirus, the first and second being SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), respectively. The novel coronavirus 2019 is officially named SARS-CoV-2 [3]. It was declared a global emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 30, 2020 [3].

As of April 28, 2020, the total number of confirmed cases of the disease has been 2,954,222, with 202,597 deaths globally [5]. On the other hand, China alone has had 82,875 confirmed cases and 4,633 deaths as of May 2, 2020 [6].

When the pandemic gained global attention, a sudden decline in personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies [7], startling media reports, a huge influx of patients into hospitals, and a shortage of utilities secondary to bulk buying in lieu of an impending crisis and comparison with previous Coronaviridae outbreaks lead to uncertainty, vulnerability, panic, fear, distress, anger, and feelings of loss of control. Then, social distancing and finally a lockdown were set in place, which made coping with the pandemic even more difficult as peoples financial circumstances changed.

As with any other pandemic, there is a dual effect seen with this virus; not only is there fear and panic in the population but also an increased burden on the healthcare system including healthcare workers (HCWs) [2]. As the experience with SARS showed that HCWs were the most infected with high mortality [1,8-10], fear and uncertainty are markedly present among the HCWs. Other feelings varied from anxiety, to stress, to frustration, to stigmatization [3,11]. Frontline workers were relocated to different departments and were asked to work in different institutions as a part of task force reassignment to deal with the suspected surge, as was previously observed during the SARS outbreak [11].

Frequently changing guidelines on infection control procedures and public health recommendations stirred confusion and anxiety [11].

We wanted to study the emotional impact of novel coronavirus 2019 on HCWs and how they chose to address these concerns.

This prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted using an open online survey filled by HCWs from hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients in the UK, the USA, Pakistan, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. The survey was conducted from April 23, 2020, to May 18, 2020. HCWs from all fields were eligible for participation. The survey was completely anonymous, and responses were kept confidential. The survey was completed by 239 participants. The work has been reported in line with the Strengthening The Reporting Of Cohort Studies in Surgery (STROCSS) criteria [12].

We aimed at assessing the feelings of HCWs during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the reason behind their feelings, how they addressed their concerns, and their suggestions.

Demographic data including age, healthcare category, grade, and department (for physicians and nurses) were recorded and separately used to analyze risk factors.

Data analysis was done using the SPSS software version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

Of the 239 participants, the completion rate was 100%. A total of 204 (85.36%) respondents were between 20 and 40 years, 33 (13.81%) between 41 and 60 years, and two (0.84%) more than 60 years (Figure 1, Table 1).

Of the 239 respondents, 175 (73.22%) were physicians, 32 (13.39%) were nurses, 14 (5.86%) were operating department practitioners (ODPs), nine (3.77%) were administrative staff, three (1.26%) were laboratory/radiology personnel, and two (0.84%) each of paramedics, clinical assistants, and pharmacists (Figure 2, Table 2).

Most of the HCWs belonged to the middle grade (107 (44.77%)), whereas junior and senior grades constituted 63 (26.36%) and 69 (28.87%) of the respondents, respectively (Figure 3, Table 3).

Physicians and nurses were optionally required to record their department. Out of the 175 physicians,163 answered this question, and the majority of them (55) belonged to general surgery, followed by general practitioners (13), anesthetists (10), and orthopedic surgeons (9). Seven physicians were from medicine;six each from pediatrics, accident and emergency, and otolaryngology;five each from nutrition and radiology; four each from gynecology/obstetrics, dermatology, and neurosurgery; three each from urology, intensive care, and dentistry;two each from pathology, nephrology, and maxillofacial; and one each from infectious diseases, ophthalmology, endocrinology, cardiology, neurology, elderly care, vascular surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and public health.

The majority of the respondents felt confused (47 (19.67%)) during the pandemic. Forty-one (17.15%) felt stressed/overworked, 40 (16.74%) felt unhappy, and 33 (13.81%) felt scared. Other feelings included feeling nervous(32 (13.39%)), being motivated (21 (8.79%)), being privileged (14 (5.86%)), and feeling pressurized to perform duty (11 (4.60%)) (Figure 4, Table 4).

Of the HCWs, 68.87% (167) felt it to be their moral obligation to continue duty, while others felt administrative pressure (32 (13.39%)) for continuation. Twenty-five (10.46%) HCWs chose financial incentives as the main reason to continue working during the pandemic, and 15 (6.28%) had other reasons (Figure 5, Table 5).

Fear of spreading the disease to their family and friends was prevalent among the HCWs. Overall, 129 (53.97%) respondents chose this as their major concern. Lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) bothered 32 (13.39%) of the respondents. The HCWs were concerned about contracting the disease (17 (7.11%)), lack of established guidelines (11 (4.60%)), lack of a vaccine (8 (3.35%)), inadequate screening (8 (3.35%)), lack of knowledge about the virus or disease (7 (2.93%)), being overworked/understaffed (7 (92.93%)), and lockdown (7 (2.93%)). The lack of established treatment for the disease caused unrest among five (2.09%) of the respondents. Others feared media reports (4 (1.67%)), conflict among staff members (2 (0.84%)), and improper isolation (2 (0.84%)) (Figure 6, Table6).

The responses to how HCWs addressed their concerns included support from family and friends (62 (25.94%)), teamwork (47 (19.67%)), senior support (37 (15.48%)), established hospital guidelines (31 (12.97%)), relatively small number of patients testing positive (20 (8.37%)), hospital meetings (15 (6.28%)), support groups (5 (2.09%)), hospital psychiatry support (2 (0.84%)), and ongoing HCW benefits (1 (0.42%)). A total of 19 respondents had other ways to help them out during the crisis (Figure 7, Table 7).

Strict hand hygiene was adopted by 104 (43.51%) HCWs as a safety measure. Thirty-eight (15.90%) considered all patients as carriers, 32 (13.39%) adopted strict PPE use, 26 (10.88%) resorted to self-isolation/social distancing, and 18 (7.53%) had separate scrubs for hospital duty. Seven (2.93%) HCWs went on leave, and six (2.51%) strictly followed updates on the disease. Eight of them adopted other measures (Figure 8, Table 8).

When asked what would have helped them better deal with the situation, 69 (28.87%) responded with adequate and easily accessible PPE, and 67 (28.03%) thought better-established guidelines on screening, isolation, and treatment should have been in place. Thirty-seven (15.48%) suggested strict hand hygiene monitoring; for 33 (13.81%), a vaccine or treatment would have been reassuring, while eight ( 3.35%) wished for a financial incentive, seven (2.93%) asked for a compensatory time off, four (1.67%) suggested a voluntary opt-out of duty, and three (1.26%) carved for a little appreciation from authorities. Eleven (4.60%) had other suggestions (Figure 9, Table 9).

Our survey including 239 participants revealed a high prevalence of confusion and stress/being overworked in HCWs involved in the care of COVID-19 patients (19.67% and 17.15%, respectively). This is comparable to studies done during the SARS outbreak [13]. During a pandemic, HCWs are prone to a multitude of feelings [3,11]. Feeling unhappy, scared, nervous, motivated, privileged, and pressurized to perform duty were reported by 16.74%, 13.81%, 13.39%, 8.79%, 5.86%, and 4.60%, respectively. Previous studies during the SARS pandemicreported similar outcomes [3]. The long-term psychological implications of a pandemic have been studied with SARS and need to be kept in mind and assessed during the current pandemic [14,15]. HCWs should be trained in dealing with stress during an infectious outbreak to optimize their response and efficiency.

Doctors formed the majority of the respondents (73.22%), followed by nurses (13.39%). Most of the respondents were between 20 and 40 years of age (85.36%), and 44.77% of them were in the middle grade of their careers.

Another important aspect highlighted by our study was that 69.87% of the HCWs felt motivated to perform their duty during the pandemic despite all the fear, anxiety, and confusion. Because of their direct contact with COVID-19 patients and the fact that this disease has cross communicability [3], 53.97% of the HCWs feared transferring the disease to their family members and friends. Our survey also found out that support from family and friends (25.94%) and teamwork (19.67%) helped HCWs continue to perform their duty despite mounting pressure and fear.

As with any other infectious disease, hand hygiene was opted for by a mere 43.51% of the respondents as the primary safety measure, the numbers not as significant as would have been expected from HCWs. We want to stress the need for further infection control training and strict hand hygiene compliance monitoring for effective infection control and prevention. We would like to suggest that future pandemic response training should include infection control training as an integral part.

Our survey identified that measures as simple as adequate and easily accessible PPE would have made a huge difference in terms of reassuring HCWs as mentioned by 28.87% of the respondents. As observed initially, the sudden shortage of PPE was a rather important factor in causing emotional distress among HCWs as was noted earlier during previous infection outbreaks [7,11]. On the other hand, an almost equal number of respondents (28.03%) thought it would have been better if there were well-established guidelines on screening, isolation, and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Dealing with an unknown pathogen and a rather unfamiliar disease pattern makes it difficult, but diverting resources toward research, as observed during the coronavirus pandemic, was of paramount importance.

This survey demonstrated the emotional impact of SARS-CoV-2 on HCWs. The mental and emotional well-being ofHCWs is of paramount significance if they were to work efficiently. It is the responsibility of healthcare institutions to safeguard their HCWs and provide them with the means to cope with stress and anxiety. Working under stressful conditions during an infectious outbreak would lead to long-term psychological morbidity in HCWs, as previously identified.

See original here:

The Emotional Impact of Novel Coronavirus on Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study - Cureus

As coronavirus cases continue to rise in Utah and the rest of the country, Summit County is one of five places in the state with a high coronavirus transmission risk.

The county in May was the first to have its designation increased from low to medium as cases reached the double digits nearly every day. As of Friday, 15 of Utahs 29 counties were rated as having medium to high transmission risks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions COVID database. Salt Lake and Tooele counties were in the top risk category with Summit County on Thursday with Grand and San Juan counties also receiving a high designation on Friday.

There were 250 confirmed COVID cases in the county between May 16 and May 31, according to the Summit County Health Departments COVID dashboard. The data also shows 116 additional cases 103 of which were reported in the unvaccinated population between June 1 and June 7.

Phil Bondurant, the countys health director, speculated the higher number of unvaccinated cases may be because those who are sick are likely experiencing severe symptoms, which leads to more COVID tests being administered.

He said individuals who are vaccinated often report mild, allergy-like symptoms that some people dont associate with the virus. In certain cases, an individual may choose to self-isolate or take other precautions, but those who dont suspect theyre sick may continue the cycle of spread and contribute to the uptick, Bondurant said.

Cases have been increasing on the West Coast over the last few months and he compared it to the rise in cases the East Coast experienced in late April. However, Bondurant said, the case numbers locally may be skewed because at-home testing kits can be inaccurate and its hard for health officials to gauge who is using them. Summit County is also testing at higher rates than the rest of Utah following the closure of state testing sites at the end of March.

The good news is hospitalization rates, which are considered an important metric in the fight against COVID, appear to be stable and indicate the countys situation is still manageable, the health director said. There have been nine hospitalizations with one person in the intensive care unit in the last 30 days and one COVID-related death has been reported since March, according to the Health Department.

Approximately 47% of people living in Summit County who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine have received a booster shot as of Friday. Close to 88% of residents have completed their vaccination series and 100% have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Bondurant said several factors play a role in why the county hasnt been able to reach the 50% mark. First, many people may be waiting to receive their booster in the fall when they anticipate theyll have the highest level of protection against COVID or they consider themselves at a lower risk during the summer. Others may expect theyre going to catch the virus either way and dont want to go through the inconvenience of the shot, according to the health director.

Bondurant admits hed like to see the booster number higher and said the Health Department is continuing messaging about the importance of the vaccine, while also recognizing its a personal choice.

Its likely a COVID vaccine similar to a seasonal flu shot, or one combining the two, will be offered sometime soon, he said. Until then, the CDC recommends a second booster for adults over 50 and people 12 and older who are moderately immunocompromised.

Everybody is aware and everyone knows what COVID is and how to protect yourself, the risks, those different things, Bondurant said. People know where [the booster and vaccine is] available so at this point we continue to take those appointments and help people make the decision thats best for them and their families.

With summer here and tourists likely on their way, Summit County health officials urge Parkites and visitors to follow precautions to limit their exposure to COVID. Individuals who are unsure if they have contracted the virus are also encouraged to get tested. Testing is available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays in Coalville and Tuesdays in Kamas as well as 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays in Park City.

See the original post:

Summit County one of five in Utah with high coronavirus transmission risk - The Park Record

Long COVID continues to offer more questions than answers 27 months into the coronavirus pandemic, though researchers are slowly gaining a better understanding.

Long-term effects from SARS-CoV-2 infection, known more commonly as long COVID, has been the topic of more than 1,650 papers published in the National Library of Medicine since 2020.

When asked about long COVID, most physicians will offer up their experience and/or research with a caveat -- more research is needed to know for sure.

Were really just starting to work this whole thing out, said Dr. Matthew Sims, director of infectious disease research at Beaumont Health. Its complicated, its confusing. To be honest, I think were going to find that long COVID is the same sort of problem we see with other things and all the research thatll end up being done on long COVID, because its such a big issue, may help other diseases like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, that are really hard to figure out right now. We dont know.

Researchers have made some progress however. Below are some common questions and answers related to long COVID.

What is long COVID?

The typical definition of long COVID is long-term symptoms from SARS-CoV-2 that might be experienced weeks, months or even years after primary infection.

As for specific symptoms that linger, those vary.

A recent survey conducted by the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) at the University of Michigan found breathing issues were the most common ongoing symptom, followed by loss or distorted sense of smell or taste, and lingering anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues.

Other common symptoms were nervous system symptoms, neurologic problems, diabetes, heart problems, kidney damage, and fatigue.

The Cover Michigan Survey is a public opinion telephone and online survey that includes a random sample of Michigan adults. Its results were analyzed by CHRT staff, who said many of their findings were supported by national data and additional research.

I like to think this is sort of the tip of the iceberg with long COVID, because everything about this virus and this pandemic and this disease is so new and every day were still learning more stuff, said Melissa Riba, director of research and evaluation at CHRT.

In July 2021, long COVID became a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. An individualized assessment is necessary to determine whether a persons long COVID condition substantially limits them.

How common is it?

The Cover Michigan Survey found more than one in three Michiganders who reported a COVID-19 diagnosis identified themselves as a COVID long hauler. While the sample size was limited -- 138 individuals with COVID, of which 48 reported long COVID -- it matched or followed trends found in other studies.

Stretching globally, the University of Michigan School of Public Health analyzed 50 studies and more than 1.6 million people and found the prevalence of long COVID to be around 43%.

With the overall rates, if you look at most of the literature, it generally falls among the range of between 25% and 43%, with most sources falling within a more narrow range between like 30% to 35%, said Jonathan Tsao, a project manager at CHRT.

Its not yet clear which demographics are more or less susceptible to long COVID, though researchers are gaining clarity on that issue.

The risk factors for getting long COVID are somewhat similar to those people who are at increased risk for severe disease, said Dr. Liam Sullivan, an infectious disease specialist at Spectrum Health. That being said, theres a lot of people whove had mild COVID cases who have had issues with long COVID as well. So thats not really been fully delineated yet.

A Swedish study of more than 205,000 COVID patients founds that 32% of those admitted to an ICU developed long COVID. Thats compared to 6% of those hospitalized but not placed into intensive care, and 1% of outpatients.

Other groups that have reported disproportionate levels of long COVID are women, individuals 40 to 54, and persons with preexisting conditions, according to a 2021 study conducted in California and published by the CDC.

In Michigan, CHRT found women were four times as likely to report long COVID, and diabetics were twice as likely, compared to their counterparts.

Does the vaccine offer protection against long COVID?

A study published last month in Nature Medicine used 2021 Veterans Affairs health records to assess potential vaccine-induced protection against long COVID. The St. Louis, Missouri study determined COVID vaccination reduced risk of long COVID by about 15%.

It was one of, if not the largest, study to date. Researchers looked at records from 34,000 vaccinated people with breakthrough infections, 113,000 non-vaccinated people who got COVID, and more than 13 million people who had not gotten COVID.

The study revealed no difference in specific lingering symptoms or the severity of symptoms.

Dr. Sullivan said you have to be careful extrapolating those results to the general population however, when the study population were veterans with an average age in their 60s with underlying risk factors.

Getting vaccinated doesnt eliminate your risk for long COVID, he said. You still have risk for long COVID; what is starting to probably become clear is the risk is probably lower and that people dont get quite as severe long COVID, but that question still has to be more fully answered.

Sullivan said he anticipates the results of a larger study being conducted by CDC and some partner universities to better define and understand the scope of long COVID.

Whatre the economic impacts of long COVID?

The latest Cover Michigan Survey found long haulers are more likely to be in a worse financial situation than a year ago, compared to those who recovered from COVID and those who never got infected.

Because long haulers may be unable to function at their pre-COVID capacity, they are more likely to take longer medical leave, work reduced hours, have their salary reduced, or quit their jobs, researchers found.

A national survey of more than 1,000 COVID patients found that 44% of workers experiencing long COVID reduced their weekly work hours. A majority of respondents said they needed to take medical leave due to long COVID symptoms.

Researchers who analyzed Michigans long COVID data said theres a need for further study on the impact of state-wide efforts to assist long haulers. They recommend:

By publishing its survey results, CHRT researchers said they hope to raise awareness among lawmakers and business leaders as to the prevalence of long haulers, as well as for individuals who are suffering and feeling like theyre alone with their long-term symptoms.

We want to raise an alarm, raise a flag to say hey, this is potentially going to be and could be a really big deal for policymakers, for the state, for the economy, for the health care system and we need to be prepared, Riba said.

If you have any COVID-19 questions that youd like answered, please submit them to covidquestions@mlive.com to be considered for future MLive reporting.

Read more on MLive:

11 counties in U.P., northern Michigan have high COVID-19 levels; CDC says, recommends masking

COVID therapeutics becoming more common: Michigan COVID data for Thursday, June 16

FDA advisors recommend vaccinating children under 5 against COVID

Novavaxs more traditional COVID vaccine could combat hesitancy, doc says

Visit link:

Long COVID answers are coming into focus, slowly - MLive.com

The Chief Clinical Officer of the HSE has said he is "very concerned" about the rise in the number of people in hospital with, or because of, Covid-19.

It comes as 606 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported in the country's hospitals this morning.

As of 8am there were 153 more people in hospital with Covid today than there were last Monday.

There were 453 people with confirmed cases in hospital on Monday 13 June.

Speaking on RT's Today with Claire Byrne, Dr Colm Henry said the rise is largely driven by a sub-type of the Omicron variant.

"This sub-type enjoys what is called a growth advantage over previous sub-types and is now displacing it as the dominant variant here. It's about 100% of cases in Portugal and now over 70% here."

Dr Henry said that although it is much more transmissible, it does not seem to be more virulent or aggressive.

"While hospitalisations are going up, we are seeing ICU numbers steady which is of some assurance," he said.

"Those who previously had immunity from previous variants, be they Delta or otherwise, can get infected again but they are much less likely to get seriously ill."

'Not too late to get vaccinated'

Dr Henry said there has been an increase in outbreaks in nursing home settings and residential care facilities but "nothing like we saw when we peaked in March following the surge of Omicron cases with earlier sub-variants but nevertheless, we have seen a rise at our operational clinical meeting this morning".

There has also been a rise in cases among healthcare workers.

Dr Henry said they are hearing that "they are not particularly sick but because they test positive, it does have that impact on services".

There has also been a rise in hospital-acquired infections, Dr Henry said.

On vaccinations and hospital cases, Dr Henry said: "The harsh reality is that if you look at hospitalisations, 606 this morning, unfortunately over half have not received their booster and over a third haven't even got vaccinated in the first place."

He said it is not too late to get vaccinated and "people who are unvaccinated in the first place have no protection from serious illness, no protection from being hospitalised and going to ICU or worse. It's not too late for those people to get vaccinated".

Latest wave of infection was 'predictable'

Dr Gerald Barry, Assistant Professor of Virology at University College Dublin, said the rise in case numbers in hospitals is reflective of what is going on in the general population.

He told RT's Morning Ireland that we are experiencing a further wave of Covid-19 and while around half of the cases identified in hospital are 'incidental' - that is patients are in hospital for another reason - infections are being picked up due to the ongoing testing in hospital settings.

Dr Barry said that this wave of infection was predictable up to eight weeks ago and talk of the reintroduction of mandatory mask wearing now was like "closing the stable door when the horse had bolted".

We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

He said it was likely that we were close to the peak of the current wave and he couldnt be sure that a mandatory mask wearing order would have much impact at this stage.

Dr Barry said the public should have been informed a month ago that this wave was coming. He said the focus then should have been about mask wearing, increased antigen testing and people adjusting their behaviour, to help reduce the peak of infection.

He said the virus is still causing a huge burden on the general population and the Government and the HSE needed to be more proactive in their ongoing communication and response to help reduce that burden.

Current wave to last 'two or three weeks'

Professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, Kingston Mills, said he does not think there is a public appetite for mask wearing but that if everybody was wearing masks, it would make an impact on the transmission of the virus.

He said that there needs to be an "all or nothing" approach and that Covid is not seasonal.

He said that the current 'mini wave' could go on for two or three weeks, but long term we cannot give up on vaccines and boosters.

Professor Mills told RT's Drivetime that the big problem with hospitals is that the system is being stressed; healthcare workers are being infected and this is putting pressure on other healthcare procedures that have to be reduced, such as elective procedures, which is impacting people who do not have Covid.

Amid concerns that new variants may evade the vaccines currently in use, Professor Mills said updated vaccines are being produced and if they are rolled out in the autumn, with the flu vaccine, they will be closer to the strain of the disease that is circulating.

He said that another wave could come in the autumn but it totally depends on the virus and its mutation.

Dr Eoghan De Barra, consultant in infectious diseases at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, said for the first time in a long time he is seeing patients admitted because of Covid rather than incidental Covid, where they tested positive while in hospital for another reason.

Dr De Barra said it is largely immunocompromised people, who have had some level of vaccination.

"They're not as sick as in earlier waves but still needed hospital care," said Dr De Barra.

He said it was really hard to say if we have reached the peak of this wave.

"When I see very immunocompromised patients, who have been very careful over [the] past two years, come in with Covid, I suspect there is a very high level in the community because they're the real tip of the iceberg of infection," he said.

Read more here:

HSE 'concerned' over rise in Covid-19 hospital numbers - RTE.ie