IRELAND’S DEADLIEST DAY AS 93 MORE DIE OF COVID
»»93 more lives lost with the youngest victim aged just 41 »»GP practices are set to rake in €2,500-a-day for vaccine rollout
IRELAND suffered its darkest day in the war against Covid-19 yesterday with 93 more deaths.
The grim milestone marks the highest number of fatalities confirmed in a single day since the start of the pandemic, exceeding a peak of 77 during the first wave last year.
There have now been 2,708 deaths and a total of 176,839 cases.
It comes after a sharp increase in infections in the first 10 days of the year following a relaxation of publichealth measures over Christmas.
Of the deaths reported yesterday, three occurred in December,
89 in January and the date of one death is still under investigation.
The median age of those who died was 82 and the age range was from 41 to 99.
The number of people being treated in intensive care is now 202, which is up two on
Monday. Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “While we are starting to see the early results of our collective efforts to minimise the transmission of the virus, we are very sadly reporting an additional 93 deaths today.
“We cannot afford to drop our guard against the very high levels of infection that remain in the community at present.
“Covid-19 ICU and hospitalisation numbers are of critical concern to us, representing a very significant pressure on our healthcare workers and on the provision of acute medical and surgical non-covid care. We
need everyone to stay at home, other than for essential reasons.
“The more that each individual follows this advice in their everyday lives, the more we can drive down the spread of Covid-19 and minimise the impact on vital healthcare services, patients and frontline workers.”
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that GPS are set to rake in €2,500 a day from the Covid jabs scheme.
Doctors’ representatives have secured a deal with the Government to join the national vaccination programme from the end of the month. It will cost the taxpayer €91million.
The terms of the agreement will see GPS getting €35 a jab, or €60 to
give two doses three weeks apart. This means that a doctor’s practice that provides the vaccines at a steady rate of just one every seven minutes would pull in over €2,500 during an ordinary eight hour day.
This is to cover the administration costs and the vaccination itself, while the jab will be provided free by the State. Around 15 minutes is the normal observation time after someone receives a jab, while it is advised that some must wait 40 minutes to be safe before going on their way.
Waiting after a jab under observation in primary care centres and the larger doctors’ surgeries is done away from the doctor, freeing them up to administer more jabs.
Doctors and pharmacists will also be part of the teams at mass vaccination centres where the agreed pay rate will be €120-an-hour for docs and €70-an-hour for pharmacists.
The scheme sees doctors paid considerably more than their counterparts in other countries.
For instance, in the UK the Government there pays a doctor just £12.58 for each jab they give. The move was brought to
Cabinet by Health
Minister Stephen
Donnelly and approved with the Government spokesman saying: “Nobody had any issue with the cost of the fees.”
However, if a GP tries to charge any extra on top of the agreed rates, this will not be tolerated by the Government.
The spokesman added: “No doctors can charge any more than that [the agreed rate].”
The country’s vaccination programme is focusing on three priority groups over the next couple of months, including long-term care residents, frontline healthcare workers and those aged over 70.
Mr Donnelly said those who were among the first to receive the first dose of the vaccine will now be receiving the second. This includes 79-year-old Annie Lynch, from Dublin, who became the first person here to get the jab on December 29.