Number of people in hospital with flu more than doubles as Covid-19 cases rise

Cork University Hospital has been extremely busy with 73 patients waiting overnight for a bed.

The number of people in hospital with flu has more than doubled with Covid-19 cases in hospitals also increasing as warnings of a so-called 'twindemic' come true.

This is putting increased pressure once again on hospitals with 570 patients on trolleys or chairs waiting for a hospital bed today.

The latest available flu figures show the number of people so ill with this virus and needing  hospitalisation jumped up from 299 to 637 by Christmas Eve.

This followed an increase in new weekly cases reported to 2,329, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre said.

Nursing homes saw ten new outbreaks and there were 16 outbreaks reported in hospitals.

Some 692 people were in hospital with Covid-19 today as numbers steadily increased following a lull during the Christmas period.

This includes 25 patients with Covid-19 being treated at intensive care units (ICU).

The Omicron lineage known as XBB continues to be monitored by Irish and international health authorities. This is thought to be more transmissible but not more virulent than previous strains, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said.

Chief medical officer Professor Breda Smyth reported 47 cases in Ireland before Christmas.

Hospitals reported 47 new Covid-outbreaks on site up to Christmas Eve, with 45 reported by nursing homes and community hospitals.

Overall the number of new outbreaks was up to 115 compared to 82 the week before Christmas.

RSV outbreak

In addition to these two significant threats, and despite hopes the outbreak of RSV had peaked the latest figures show 534 new cases.

This is up from 502 the week before and remains mostly among vulnerable young children.

Hospitals reported three outbreaks of RSV on-site, and there were seven outbreaks of RSV among nursing homes and community hospitals.

Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation count of patients waiting for beds found patients attending University Hospital Limerick faced serious delays with 84 unable to get a bed.

Cork University Hospital was also extremely busy with 73 patients waiting overnight for a bed.

Patients at Letterkenny hospital also faced long delays with 61 on trolleys there.

Once again there were no patients on trolleys at Waterford University Hospital. 

However, other Munster hospitals had long delays with 19 people on trolleys at Tipperary UH, 17 at University Hospital Kerry, and 13 at the Mercy University Hospital.

The HSE called on the public to only attend Emergency Departments with serious conditions during what they now expect to be “one of the busiest ever periods experienced by the health service”.

Chief operations officer Damien McCallion said: “As expected, emergency departments are becoming extremely busy due to the unprecedented combination of very high levels of flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in the community.” 

 He added: “These services have emergency responses in place for patients presenting with respiratory and other urgent health issues.” 

 University Hospital Limerick had the highest number of patients on trolleys on New Year’s Day and have now re-instated restricted visiting rules due to outbreaks of Covid-19 and flu.

The hospital also asked people to try other sources of help when appropriate, but Dr Gareth Quin reassured seriously ill people the ED continues to accept critically ill patients.

An emergency medicine consultant at the hospital, he said: “Our ED is open 24/7 to treat patients with serious injury or unexpected illness including heart attack, stroke and other life or limb-threatening conditions.”