Omicron 'dominant strain' after only two weeks

No patients being treated at Cavan General in Intensive Care or the hospital's High Dependency Unit

“It has taken less than two weeks for Omicron to become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Ireland, revealing just how transmissible this variant is,” Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health said this week.

While infection transmission in the past has been slowed using “basic measures” and “responding immediately” if symptomatic, he added urged anyone eligible for a booster to avail of it at the earliest opportunity in the hope of flattening the curve of this latest wave and present deaths.

Only last week the HSE issued a statement saying how the current level of COVID-19 was having a significant and sustained impact across all aspects of the health service, including in hospitals, Intensive Care Units (ICUs), public health, as well as the broader primary care services in the North East region.

Emerging infection figures for the North East continue to remain high, with the risk of the Omicron variant to public health considered “very high”, and therefore likely to cause additional hospitalisations.

According to the latest hospital figures available, on Monday last, December 20, there were seven COVID cases admitted at Cavan General, down from a peak of nine four days previous, Thursday, December 16.

There were no patients being treated at Cavan General as of Monday last in Intensive Care or the hospital's High Dependency Unit.

The hospital was dealing with no “suspected” cases, and had no new confirmed cases in the previous 24-hours.