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HSE Issue ED Warning As Covid And Flu Cases Expected To Rise

Friday, 29 December 2023 14:50

Waiting times in the midlands hospitals may be on the rise soon.

The HSE is warning of an increase in cases of flu and covid in the coming weeks.

The HSE is seeing an increase in people with respiratory illnesses attending emergency departments - 538 people with flu and 282 with COVID attended emergency departments this week, an increase from 312 (flu) and 144 (COVID) the previous week.

Increasing community infection rates will lead to increased risk of outbreaks in hospitals, nursing homes and residential care facilities, potentially affecting the most vulnerable people.

There are currently 30 outbreaks of COVID in hospitals and 24 in nursing homes, again an increase from last week.

Meanwhile, 182 people are waiting for beds in hospitals around the country today.

The latest figures from the INMO show 138 patients are waiting in emergency departments, while 44 are in wards.

In Laois, Offaly and Westmeath the figure is just five.

With four people waiting for a bed in Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar and one in Portlaoise.

Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Midland Regional Hospitals Tullamore and Mullingar, Anna Moore, says that while the EDs are going to be busy, they're there for people to use if they're unwell:

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