By Irishexaminer.com,Niamh Griffin
Copyright irishexaminer
The variant in circulation, NB.1.8.1, or informally nicknamed Nimbus, is an Omicron subvariant. It is being monitored by the World Health Organization.
Are people getting very sick with it?
It is spreading quickly around the globe, with cases reported in many countries. Anecdotally, some people have had mild symptoms, but quite a few people have reported being very ill.
One East Cork woman said everyone in her family caught it this month.
This is different to previous times when one person in the family was sick, and they avoided passing on the infection. One of her sons was “miserable, including pain in his stomach and a very sore throat. He could hardly walk up the stairs the first night.”
Overall, this woman, who has had the virus a few times, said: “All of us were much sicker than before with it.”
Doctors are reminding people even a mild infection can lead to long covid. The autumn vaccination campaigns starts next month.
Why is covid-19 spreading again?
Case numbers began rising in late July as infections with Nimbus spread.
The continued high numbers could be linked to people returning to school and workplaces after the long summer break. The rain and colder weather are also ensuring people spend more time indoors.
What effect is this having on hospitals?
There were 166 people in hospitals who have covid-19. While this is not as high as during the pandemic, it can put extra pressure on hospitals. It is likely to be one of the reasons contributing to the severe overcrowding this week.
On Monday, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation warned 313 patients could not get a bed in hospitals around the country.
University Hospital Limerick had 32% of these at 103 patients, followed by the hospitals in Galway, 89, and Sligo, 55. In Cork, between CUH and the Mercy hospital, there were 25 patients without a bed.
Any other concerns heading into winter?
Yes, Measles. Warnings are being issued about risks posed by low vaccination levels by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. They called on countries to boost vaccination to 95% of the population to prevent this dangerous disease spreading over the winter.
