The HSE’s Chief Operations Officer has warned that Ireland is dealing with a ‘triple wave of viruses’ as new advice is issued to the public.
Listing the issues at hand, Damien McCallion said that there are 600 people are in the hospital with Covid, 300 patients have the flu and 250 children are in hospital with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV),
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he described the situations as a "unique position that we have never had before".
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He went on to say that having all three illnesses spiking at the same time means the healthcare system is under extremer pressure - which was seen on Monday when the Mater Hospital asked patients to avoid their Emergency Department.
Mr. McCallion said the HSE is acting to curb this pressure by investing in additional beds, extending the opening hours of local injury units, putting additional people into GP out-of-hours at peak times, and increasing ED staffing.
He insisted that these actions “will ultimately assist to alleviate the pressures, but it's still at a level at the moment in terms of pressures on the emergency departments, that none of us can be happy with.
"Least of all, those people who are using the service at the moment," he said.
Meanwhile, the chief medical officer has appealed to people to stay at home if they have flu-like symptoms and to return to wearing masks on public transport.
Breda Smyth said that this advice includes not going to a Christmas party or meeting family on Christmas Eve if they have new Covid-like symptoms.
Prof Smyth said she is “very concerned” about a recent rise in coronavirus hospital admissions, and has asked people to make a collective effort over the next four to six weeks to reduce transmission.
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