Thanks to our high vaccination levels, hospital numbers in Ireland may be lower than during the third wave. But Professor Ger Curley has seen the raw edge of this pandemic time and time again.
As one of the most experienced and respected critical care consultants in the country, Prof Curley has tried to be circumspect about the country's ICU capacity.
Now, as the Omicron variant once again threatens to overwhelm our hospitals, he is willing to be a little more candid. "The consequences of us not adequately investing in our ICUs will ultimately cost lives," Prof Curley told Prime Time. "We have an aging population.
We have more complex surgeries that are now being performed on more patients – on older patients. We have new treatments that