Record number of Covid patients in hospital, as Justice Minister tests positive
A record number of people with Covid-19 are being treated in Irish hospitals today.
There are 921 patients on wards - up from 817 yesterday morning - and includes 76 people in ICU with the virus.
The latest available figures show 51 patients with Covid are being treated at Mayo University Hospital, and 67 at University Hospital Galway.
There are no Covid patients being treated in the ICU unit in Castlebar at present.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has tested positive for the virus.
Minister McEntee, who s pregnant, is isolating and working remotely.
Local nurse administers first dose of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
Reporter:
6 Jan 2021
Mary Meade, Staff Midwife, Maternity Ward at Sligo University Hospital (SUH) receiving the vaccine from Catherine Greaney (Glancy), Staff Nurse. );
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The roll-out of the COVID 19 vaccination campaign began in Sligo University Hospital today, Wednesday, January 6th. Mary Meade was the first staff member in the hospital to receive the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. Mary received the vaccine from her nursing colleague Catherine Greaney (Glancy) from Leitrim Village.
The vaccine was the first to be administered in County Sligo and over the coming weeks the vaccination programme will be extended across the hospital and community services. Between today and the end of this week, over 500 staff will be vaccinated at Sligo University Hospital.
Vaccination of staff at north west hospitals to begin this week
Roll-out of vaccine comes as both hospitals defer procedures due to mounting Covid-19 cases
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The vaccination of staff at the north west’s two acute hospitals is to begin this week.
The Saolta University Health Care Group, which manages Letterkenny University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital, said it is expected that the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccines to front line workers at the hospital will commence in the coming days.
The vaccination of staff at other hospitals in the group is already underway.
Staff at University Hospital Galway were among those who received the first doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine when they were administered last week.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that yesterday (Tuesday) was a ray of light as the first Covid-19 vaccines were administered in a number of Irish hospitals.
Dublin woman Annie Lynch (79) was the first person to receive the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Ireland
She got the vaccine yesterday at St James s Hospital in Dublin 8, where she is currently a patient, alongside healthcare workers from the hospital who were also vaccinated. It is testament to the work of the medical and scientific communities that we now have safe and effective vaccines to help to protect us against the devastating effects of Covid-19, said Minister Donnelly.