The Mater Hospital in Dublin has asked the public to avoid its Emergency Department where possible as they cope with a Covid surge.
In a statement released on Wednesday, a spokesperson confirmed there has been a jump in cases of the virus on site.
As well as this, staff are absent due to Covid and with more and more people presenting at the Emergency Department, they’re under major pressure.
For those who are still turning up at the ED, there are lengthy wait times and so doctors are urging anyone with non-emergency conditions to seek treatment elsewhere.
However, anyone who is in need of urgent hospital care will still be seen to and the Mater has urged patients not to delay due to the announcement. The hospital apologised for any inconvenience to the public and thanked them for their understanding and cooperation.
The statement read: "Where possible, the Mater advises patients with non-emergency conditions to seek assistance from other parts of the health service such as minor injury units or their GP.
"However, any patient who is in need of emergency hospital care will of course be seen and the Mater would urge such patients not to delay and to seek such care.
"We apologise for any inconvenience this causes to the public and thank them for their understanding and cooperation."
Experts have been voicing their concern ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day festivities as hospitals that are already dealing with a shortage of staff and rise in patients could see an influx of cases throughout the bank holiday.
The public is being urged to drink responsibly and to never operate a vehicle after a night out, or first thing in the morning. Figures released by the RSA this week showed that one in ten alcohol-related crashes occur the morning after heavy drinking.
It takes a full hour for each standard measure of alcohol to work its way out of your body, and so if you’re unsure whether or not you’re fit to drive, there is an online calculator that will tell you.
