More than 1,000 people have been hospitalised with influenza, with the Health Service Executive (HSE) stating hospitals are “extremely busy” and “under pressure”.
On New Year’s Eve, the HSE issued an update on the impact the flu is having on the health system, stating the number of hospitalisations has been “increasing rapidly”.
As of Tuesday morning there were 1,017 people in hospital with flu, compared to 984 the previous day and 869 on Sunday. Hospital cases have almost doubled within a week, rising from 562 last Tuesday.
According to the HSE, GP out-of-hours services, GP surgeries, ambulance services, hospital emergency departments (EDs), and inpatient services are all “feeling the effects of respiratory illnesses”, primarily flu.
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Hospitals are currently extremely busy, the executive said, with emergency departments (EDs) seeing a total of 5,150 patients on Monday, with 1,200 of those admitted for various cases and emergencies, including the flu.
[ Numbers needing hospital care with flu at ‘upper end’ of HSE predictionsOpens in new window ]
Bernard Gloster, chief executive of the HSE, said Monday was the second highest day of ED attendance over the Christmas period.
“This morning we had 322 people admitted and waiting on trolleys and they were being cared for in both hospital wards and in our EDs. All our staff and systems are responding and managing very well and even though we have improved on recent years, there is no doubt that the system is under pressure,” he said.
[ Flu cases and hospitalisations double over past weekOpens in new window ]
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