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Cabins have been installed in a busy Cork hospital in an attempt to expand the capacity of the emergency department as part of preparations to combat Covid-19 this winter.
The new cabins constructed at Mercy University Hospital (MUH) have been installed on concrete baseboards at Grenville Place and will provide an additional 200 square meters of accommodation.
Hospital management said the cabins, which replaced temporary tents that were erected by the Defense Forces during the shutdown, will be operational by mid-October.
“This accommodation will offer additional clinical capacity for the Emergency Department through additional waiting areas, triage rooms and evaluation / treatment cubicles. These structures will be operational in mid-October, ”said a hospital spokesman.
“This development is expected to enhance the patient experience in the Emergency Department and assist the hospital with its response to Covid-19 during the winter period.” MUH received the booths last Friday night, with a comprehensive traffic management plan during installation and the Emergency Department remained open.
The cabins arrive amid a sharp increase in the number of people with Covid-19 being treated at the hospital.
Data from the Department of Health shows that on September 15, 55 people with Covid-19 were being treated in hospitals in Ireland.
The figure is a significant drop from April 15 when 856 people were hospitalized, yet it is also a notable jump from last month – thirteen people with Covid-19 were hospitalized on August 11.
According to the latest HSE operations update, 73 people with confirmed Covid-19 were receiving hospital care across the country as of Wednesday night, including four people in Cork.
Of the 73 confirmed cases in hospitals, 12 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
In Cork, three people with confirmed Covid-19 were being treated at Mercy University Hospital last night and one person with confirmed Covid-19 was being treated at Cork University Hospital.
Two of these people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
A total of 106 people suspected of Covid-19 were being treated at hospitals across the country, including seven people at Mercy University Hospital and one person at Cork University Hospital.
Fourteen people with confirmed Covid-19 were being treated in intensive care units in Ireland, including one person being treated at Mercy University Hospital.
Last night, Dr. Colm Henry, clinical director of the HSE and Cork consultant expressed concern about the “sharp increase” in the rate of admissions of Covid-19 patients in acute care hospitals.
“We know that without a reversal of these trends, admissions can increase rapidly to the point where our healthcare facilities will be under unsustainable pressure. It is more essential than ever that we all follow the basic measures that can weaken the virus in the community, ”he said.
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