Hospitals are seeing a level of disruption they haven’t seen before due to the current Covid surge, according to the HSE.
Over 1,600 people with the virus are currently being treated – 35 patients at St Luke’s General Hospital for Carlow and Kilkenny have tested positive, after seven new confirmations yesterday, with one in the Intensive Care Unit.
While 28 people are this morning (Tuesday, 29th March) waiting on a bed at St Luke’s, 17 in the emergency department with 11 on other wards.
The local facility had one available ICU bed last night, among just 14 free across the country.
Meanwhile, daily case numbers remain above 10,000 though the Health Minister says the true figures are likely much higher with hundreds of thousands getting the virus every week.
HSE Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry says it’s putting a lot of pressure on the healthcare system.
