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Almost 700 patients with Covid-19 have been admitted to hospital since Friday as the pandemic continues to heap pressure on the health service.
On Sunday, 221 patients with the virus had been admitted within the past 24 hours, on top of 235 recorded on Saturday and a pandemic record of 235 on Friday.
The total number of Covid-19 patients in hospital has exceeded the 1,500 mark for the first time since late January 2021, reaching 1,569 on Sunday morning.
Hospital Report
The number of patients requiring admission to intensive care continues to remain stable, however, at 52, up one on the previous day.
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On Saturday evening, there were 123 patients with Covid-19 in Beaumont hospital, 118 in the Mater hospital and 104 in Cork University Hospital, according to the Health Service Executive.
Of the 51 Covid-19 patients then in intensive care (ICU), 19 required invasive ventilation. Covid-19 patients accounted for 51 out of 253 patients in ICU, and four out of 25 patients in paediatric ICU.
It is estimated that about half of all patients in hospital with Covid-19 are there for another reason but were diagnosed with the virus during their stay. However, such patients require additional infection control measures, which can limit bed availability.
Due to recent rises in case numbers, further increases in hospitalisations are expected next week. What happens thereafter is uncertain, and no modelling is being carried out, as occurred earlier in the pandemic.
Meanwhile on Saturday, there were seven further deaths of patients who previously tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, the North’s Department of Health said.
Another 1,465 confirmed cases of the virus were notified in the last 24-hour reporting period.
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