Parallel healthcare system capacity could be exceeded in 10 days

Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds has said if numbers of covid19 cases continue to increase at the present rate, the parallel health care system could be overwhelmed within seven-ten days.

At the Prime Minister's media briefing on Monday, Hinds said if the current rate of increase continues, the system will reach its maximum capacity by May 22. He said this is a great cause for concern and the trend needs to be reduced.

Hinds said it was also alarming that younger people in their 40s were now dying from covid19. He said the numbers were increasing in all counties.

The CMO said there were 542 beds in the parallel health care system, inclusive of intensive-care units and high dependency units.

Dr Maryam Richards said the seven-day rolling average was now at 233 people per day. She said 14 new cases were being admitted to hospital daily, but only six were being discharged.

She said the parallel system was now at 48 per cent, with 260 people in hospital. She said a hospital stay could last from three-21 days depending on how ill the patient is.