Nearly 1,500 Hospitalised with Covid-19 in October Amid Declining Rates

Almost 1,500 people were hospitalised with Covid-19 in October, according to the latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). This figure reflects ongoing challenges faced by nursing homes and hospitals nationwide, primarily during the first three weeks of the month, spanning weeks 40 to 43.

Covid-19 cases have sharply decreased compared to the summer months when numbers surged to nearly 600 weekly. The latest report indicates an encouraging drop in new cases, with 221 reported last week, alongside 98 hospitalisations. Notably, there were no admissions to Intensive Care Units (ICU) and no recorded deaths during that same period. However, the statistics from earlier weeks in October revealed 10 deaths in week 40, followed by three in both weeks 41 and 42.

Current Covid-19 Trends

The Integrated Respiratory Virus Bulletin released on Thursday highlights that Covid-19 activity remains at low to moderate levels, with an overall incidence of 4.3 cases per 100,000 population. The number of cases decreased by 37.2 percent, dropping from 352 cases in week 42 to 221 in week 43. Hospitalisations also saw a decline of 18.3 percent, falling from 120 to 98 in the same timeframe. Hospital bed occupancy rates have been steadily decreasing in recent weeks.

The dominant variant during this period is XFG, which accounted for 83.1 percent of cases between weeks 36 and 40. The NB.1.8.1 variant followed, representing 13.8 percent of cases. The report noted 15 classified outbreaks last week, with a total of 91 outbreaks reported from October 1 to 21. Nursing homes remain the most affected, with case numbers dropping significantly from nearly 300 in late April to around 50 last week.

Individuals aged 65 or older continue to represent the largest proportion of cases. Last week alone, nearly 300 cases were recorded in this age group, followed by those aged 45 to 64 and 15 to 24. The data suggests a consistent low rate of ICU admissions and single-digit weekly deaths throughout the year.

Regional Impact and Additional Respiratory Illnesses

Regions hardest hit by Covid-19 in October include Dublin, Cork, Louth, Kildare, Kerry, Limerick, Galway, and Tipperary. In contrast, Laois reported the lowest number of cases for the month.

In a statement, the Health Service Executive (HSE) clarified that county-level data on deaths is not released due to small numbers and confidentiality concerns. The definition of Covid-19 deaths includes cases confirmed postmortem, and the data remains provisional due to delays in death registration in Ireland. Furthermore, official figures are acknowledged to underreport the actual prevalence of the virus owing to reduced testing since the pandemic began.

Influenza activity has also shown an increase but remains below baseline levels as of the last week. The overall incidence for influenza was 2.8 per 100,000 of the population, with 144 cases reported in week 43, up from 119 the previous week. There were 24 influenza hospitalisations with no ICU admissions or deaths recorded.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity remains low and stable, with an incidence of 0.7 per 100,000. A total of 36 RSV cases were reported, alongside 16 hospitalisations but no ICU admissions or deaths.

The HSE noted that there were 20 acute respiratory infection outbreaks during week 43, including 15 linked to Covid-19, two to influenza, and three to other upper chest infections. Notably, there were no RSV outbreaks reported during this timeframe.

Vaccine uptake for the flu season has lagged slightly behind the previous year. As of early October, approximately 28 percent of individuals aged 60 and over received the flu vaccine compared to 29 percent during the same period last year. Uptake in the two to 17 age group rose to nearly 5 percent from 3 percent the previous year. The HSE stated that the target vaccine uptake is 50 percent for children aged two to 17 and 75 percent for individuals aged 60 and older.

As the situation continues to evolve, health authorities remain vigilant in monitoring trends to ensure public safety.