Munster s major hospitals at crisis point
Staff are stretched to their limits in Cork and Limerick, and cases of the virus are soaring at the facilities.
Emergency Department at Cork University Hospital (CUH) Co Cork. Picture: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision
Sat, 16 Jan, 2021 - 12:14
Niamh Griffin. Maresa Fagan, David Raleigh
The major hospitals in Munster are reaching crisis point as Covid-19 cases soar, staff absences increase, and the number of patients waiting on trolleys climbs.
The number of people in hospital with the virus has increased by 56% in the past week, and the ICU figure has risen by 73%.
Some 800 staff from hospitals in Cork and Limerick were off duty this week for reasons related to Covid-19, while Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Limerick are both also dealing with dozens of patients on trolleys.