Ireland, the most vaccinated nation in the European Union with a 91% vaccination rate, now has the highest number of covid patients in hospitals in seven months

Since the pandemic began over 18 months ago, health experts have repeatedly said that we will achieve herd immunity when about 70% of the population is immune to SARS-CoV-2, either through vaccination or natural immunity by having Covid-19.

Unfortunately after ten months of mass vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 and nearly 7 billion doses administered worldwide, the unprecedented campaign to get everyone vaccinated has not eradicated the deadly virus. The situation is even worse in Ireland, the most vaccinated nation in the European Union.

Now according to a report from the Irish Times, the number of patients in Irish hospitals with the disease reaches the highest level in seven months, despite over 91% of the population over-12 being vaccinated, the highest vaccination rate in the EU. The Irish Times stated that the number of Covid-positive patients in hospitals now stands at 513, figures not seen since March. The Times added that 101 of the 513 are in ICU this week – an increase from the 74 seen last week.

In addition, hospitals and emergency rooms in Australia, Sweden, and the US are reporting thousands of seriously ill patients with blood clots and respiratory issues than before the pandemic. However, many of the patients don’t have Covid and the cause of the sickness remains unknown.

Ireland Department of Health also reported that there were 2,193 new cases, putting the seven-day average at 2,119 a day, up 13 percent in a week. The situation is so bad that the department no longer discloses the number of deaths from the disease on a daily basis, the Irish Times wrote.

In addition, Northern Ireland’s Department of Health already reported a further four deaths of patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 and a further 1,124 cases of the disease with a total of 358 Covid-positive patients in hospitals in the North, of whom 34 were in intensive care.

The State’s CMO Dr. Tony Holohan said that he was “increasingly worried about the rising incidence of the disease nationwide,” adding that the primary focus “must be to protect the most vulnerable from Covid-19.”

“We are seeing a continuing increase in hospitalization and intensive care admissions – a substantial amount of whom are not fully vaccinated – placing our frontline healthcare services, including non-Covid care, under significant pressure,” he said.

With Covid 19 continuing to mutate without end, the question now becomes: How do we get out of this? Health experts said that vaccines alone won’t get us out of this pandemic. The CDC Director Rochelle Walensky even warned that vaccine alone is not going to get us of this pandemic. In a press briefing last week, Dr. Walensky said:

“As you have heard me say before, we will not boost our way out of this pandemic. And no vaccine, even a booster vaccine, provides 100 percent protection. So even after you boost, it remains important for us to remain smart about our prevention strategies while we still have over 93 percent of our counties with high or moderate community transmission.”

She added that there are currently around 64 million Americans who remain unvaccinated.