Health Minister delivers “stark warning” on winter Covid-19 trajectory

It follows CMO Tony Holohan noting he is "increasingly worried" about the rising incidence of the virus.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has delivered a "stark" presentation to Ministers in relation to the trajectory of the Covid-19 virus in Ireland over the coming months. According to the Irish Times, Donnelly informed a Cabinet subcommittee meeting on Tuesday night that there are no guarantees that the virus will rapidly relent in the weeks leading to Christmas. The Minister for Health is said to have outlined that cases are currently as high as they have been at any point during the pandemic with the exception of the major spike seen in January of 2021. It has been speculated that the present wave could result in between 2,500 and 4,000 – 5,000 cases per day. On Wednesday, the Department of Health confirmed 2,193 cases of the virus. 513 patients are in hospital with Covid-19, with 97 of those in ICU. Donnelly's warning follows on from Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan expressing concerns about the current state of Covid-19 in Ireland, noting that he is "increasingly worried" about the rising incidence of the disease. "We are seeing a continuing increase in hospitalisation and intensive care admissions - a substantial amount of whom are not fully vaccinated - placing our frontline healthcare services, including non-Covid care, under significant pressure," said Holohan on Wednesday. "It is essential that we do everything we can to break the chains of transmission of the Delta variant in the community, in the workplace and in our homes." On Saturday, HSE chief Paul Reid said that Ireland should expect "one of the worst winters we've faced in many years". Featured Image via Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie