Galway Bay fm newsroom - There’s a warning any let up in people’s vigilance will bring us back to where we started in the fight against Covid 19.
Dr Catherine Motherway, President of the Intensive Care Society, says ICUs are coping – but the virus remains in the community and the situation could easily change if people become complacent.
Her comments have been echoed by Health Minister Simon Harris, who has welcomed a drop in ICU cases but is pleading with people to remain compliant with the rules.
Minister Harris is urging people to think of the 123 people currently in intensive care, who would desperately love to be staying at home with their loved ones, rather than fighting for their lives.
The Health Minister has also confirmed around 61 per cent of people who’ve had Covid-19 in the Republic have recovered.
Meanwhile, a leading intellectual disability expert says restrictions over access to those dying in care settings need to be re-examined.
Covid-19 rules mean many people in care facilities are dying without a loved one or familiar staff member by their side.
Professor Mary McCarron, from Trinity College, says this is one of the saddest elements of the restrictions and needs to be looked at again.
Galway now has 332 confirmed cases of Covid-19 - that's an increase of a single new case according to the latest figures.
The death toll in the Republic now stands at 1,063 and there are over 18,500 confirmed cases.
The latest figures also show 123 people are being treated for coronavirus in intensive care units.
