A summer wave of COVID-19 is likely to be on the way, according to some of Ireland’s leading medical professionals. Experts are waiting to see what the next wave will look like as COVID-19 cases in hospital continue to rise.
The number of people in hospital who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 rose to 360 on Saturday (June 11)—almost double the 181 inpatients with COVID-19 two weeks ago. In the same time period, COVID-diagnosed intensive care numbers at hospitals have increased from 18 to 23.
However, around half of COVID-19 patients in hospital are incidental cases—and were not admitted because of the virus.
”We may have a wave with a mutation that escapes vaccines better,” said Professor Clíona Ní Cheallaigh, consultant in infectious diseases at St James’s hospital in Dublin.
Scientists are closely tracking the latest variants from Omicron and are unsure how severe the next wave may be.
”We should use this time wisely,” Professor Ní Cheallaigh told RTÉ News. ”A lot of the problems we faced in earlier waves, including ICU capacity and health system capacity, have not been fixed.”