No further coronavirus deaths have been announced by the National Public Health Emergency Team on Wednesday. However, the team indicated that an additional 503 infections have been recorded. The public health emergency team also said that 38 people are in intensive care.
Meanwhile, the Health Service Executive has warned of possible appointment changes and delays in delivering test results for cervical screening, due to the cyberattack on its computer systems.
In an update to services already hit by Covid-19, the HSE said the cyberattack was likely to affect a range of services this week.
It said it had arranged for GPs to phone patients if screening appointments for cervical checks are to be changed. The health service advised “it is safe to wait a few weeks for a new appointment”.
The CervicalCheck service said it was continuing to receive and process screening samples, but there may be a delay in getting test results.
The screening services listed in the HSE update include:
Breast Check
All screening appointments are going ahead as normal. Those with a screening appointment should attend as planned.
Bowel Screen
Bowel Screen is continuing to receive and process samples from home testing kits. Patients should return samples as normal. Those scheduled for a follow-up colonoscopy will be contacted by their bowel screening nurse to talk about the procedure.
Diabetic Retina Screen
Appointments are going ahead as planned. Results will be sent out as planned.
Most community health services such as disability, mental health, primary care and older people’s services are operating as normal.
Sexual Assault Treatment Units remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
National counselling service video-call appointments may be changed to phone calls. Face-to-face and phone appointments are going ahead as normal.
Those waiting for a Covid-19 test result should continue to self-isolate until the test result arrives, regardless of the number of days since the test.
The HSE said those waiting for follow-up appointments from screening tests should check service disruption updates for each hospital, listed by county on the HSE website.
Phil Ní Sheaghdha of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Union general secretary said conditions were “like working half blind almost, because we have become so dependent on IT for our blood results, booking systems [and] for patient history”.
She said the situation was like “how we operated in a hospital situation in the 1970s”. She said diagnostics and tests were “the big issues”.
