A growing number of healthcare workers are contracting Covid-19, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
In the week up to December 5th, 303 or 15 per cent of the State's new 2,002 cases of the virus were confirmed in healthcare workers.
Nurses were the largest group of healthcare workers infected, making up 20 per cent of healthcare worker cases in the most recent week for which figures are available.
In the week up to December 5th, nurses made up three per cent of all new Covid-19 cases in the State, as 61 new cases were confirmed.
Since the outset of the pandemic in March, healthcare workers have made up 16.5 per cent of the island’s total 74,804 confirmed cases.
Isolation period
The INMO is calling for the same self-isolation period to apply to healthcare workers as for the general public, to combat what it describes as an “ongoing problem” of Covid-19 cases among the group.
It said the isolation period is currently seven days for healthcare workers, and 14 for the general public.
The INMO has also called for the Government to classify Covid-19 as an occupational illness, to give the Health and Safety Authority the power to investigate and inspect cases and outbreaks.
The HSE and Department of Health have been contacted for comment.
Keep up your guard
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It comes as the Covid-19 lead for the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) has called on the public to maintain public health measures and to think carefully before meeting up with people in the run up to Christmas.
“This is the last few laps of the pitch, the last few miles of the marathon,” Dr Mary Favier told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show. “Keep up your guard,” she advised.
Dr Favier said she had not been surprised to see the rise in Covid-19 cases in recent days, as GPs had been seeing an increase in the number of patients coming to them with symptoms whom they had then referred for tests.
Of particular concern was the continued high numbers in the border counties, but she was also concerned about high numbers in counties Kilkenny and Limerick. There was no county about which she was not concerned.
Dr Favier said that the rising numbers were inevitable as Level 5 restrictions were lifted and as people began moving about, shopping and socialising.
There was a need to be cautious especially when there was inter-generational mixing, she said. Families needed to be careful.
People needed to think carefully before meeting, she cautioned. Factors that should be considered were meeting outside, meeting for less time than 15 minutes and wearing masks.
