Just 40 intensive care beds available ahead of Delta Covid wave
Sunday, July 04, 2021
By James Ward, PA
A spike in hospital admissions sparked by the Delta variant of Covid-19 would be an “extreme concern” for the health service, HSE chief executive Paul Reid has said.
Mr Reid said 260 of the country’s 300 intensive care beds are currently occupied, leaving just 40 available ahead of the projected surge.
The Delta variant is soon set to become the dominant strain across Europe, with concerns emerging over a rise in cases and hospital admissions, and is suspected to account for around 70 per cent of new cases in the Republic.