A surge in flu and Covid cases combined with the cold snap is putting increasing pressure on our Emergency Departments.
The INMO trolley watch figures for today show 101 patients at UHL – which serves north Tipp – had no bed this morning.
That’s almost a sixth of the 605 people waiting on trolleys across the country, with ten at TUH in Clonmel.
The HSE is appealing for people to consider using alternatives to A&E depending on the illness.
There’s also been an increase in people getting injured in falls on icy surfaces and it says 13 local injury units across the country are available for treating fractures including Cashel and Nenagh.
HSE Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry says flu cases are expected to peak in the next two weeks.
“We’re seeing a significant surge in Covid-19 and flu cases. The flu cases are up 92% in terms of ED attendances from last week and Covid-19 are up 77%. What we have seen compared to last year is a bit of a lag – the peak in flu cases last year came a couple of weeks earlier. We’re expecting the flu cases to peak in the next week or two.”
