Three quarters of ICU patients in Cavan are unvaccinated

The interim manager of Cavan and Monaghan Hospitals has issued a stark warning.

Cavan General Hospital is coming under increased pressure as Covid-19 cases across the country continue to grow.

The interim manager at the facility, Su-zann O’Callaghan, has appealed for people to take measures to limit the spread of the virus.

While the number of patients with Covid in Cavan General Hospital has remained somewhat steady over recent weeks, there are concerns about how long that will last.

The latest figures from the HSE showed 15 Covid positive patients were receiving treatment in Cavan General last night (Tuesday), with two suspected cases.

“Thankfully from the middle of the summer our numbers have remained stable. So we’re having a couple of new admissions in and a couple out. The vaccination programme has been amazing, in even just trying to control our own outbreaks. We would have seen the odd sporadic case on a ward here. Thankfully [if there is a case] it doesn’t seem to spread from the bay it is in”, says Su-zann.

However, while the vaccination rollout and booster campaigns are making a difference, the majority of patients being treated in CGH are unvaccinated. Some have ended up requiring serious medical intervention.

Out of five patients in ICU at the time of this interview, four were patients being treated for Covid. Three of those were unvaccinated.

“That’s a real worry for us. They’re young. It’s certainly a much younger section of the population that’s experiencing it at the minute. Unfortunately in the last three or four weeks, the numbers requiring intensive care have increased. It’s certainly a much younger population that is needing ICU care on site here.”

Frustration is what many healthcare staff are said to be feeling within CGH, particularly when vaccination has been proven to reduce the severity of the virus’s effects.

“It’s difficult for clinicians because these are people of our own age ranges. They have young families, they have careers and that’s difficult”, says Su-zann.