A recent seroprevalence study carried out by the Health Service Executive (HSE) reveals that 15 per cent of the 4,700 healthcare staff in St Jamesâs Hospital have antibodies for Covid-19 which means that have been infected by the virus. Some 3,500 vaccines have been given to patients and staff at St Jamesâs to date.
Ms Waterhouse said the third wave of the virus has been worse than the first. In early December, just six patients on one ward in St Jamesâs Hospital had Covid-19, that figure is now 102 patients on six wards with 22 in ICU.
Graphic account
Speaking at the weekly HSE briefing on Covid-19, she gave a graphic account of the pressure on frontline staff.