[ad_1]
A leading infectious disease consultant at Cork University Hospital (CUH) has confirmed that the hospital is not overwhelmed by Covid-19, is handling current pressures, and has urged patients to continue to attend for medical treatment.
Professor Mary Horgan said it was not unusual for intensive care beds to be maxed out at this time of year and confirmed that only one patient was in the ICU with Covid-19.
Figures released by the HSE this week showed CUH was among several hospitals without intensive care beds as the country grapples with a second wave of Covid-19 infections.
“It is not unusual for ICU beds to be at maximum capacity, the challenge now is that we have Covid on top of this,” Professor Horgan told the .
“There is a fear that the place is overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients and that people will contract it. That is not the case, ”he added.
The president of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland said that physicians are seeing higher levels of anxiety among patients, but that people should live with caution rather than fear and be reassured that contingency plans are in place to meet current challenges. .
“It is really important to assure the public that there are contingency plans, that the hospital is not full of coronavirus patients, but that we are busy, as would be expected at this time of year, and patients should not be afraid to attend treatment”, Professor Horgan said.
The CUH doctor also confirmed that staff absences due to Covid-19 are a “challenge”:
“There are more staff out there, and that can happen because they themselves test positive or because they are close contacts and both result in someone being out for the required 14 days. That is why some districts and departments have been affected, “he said.
Professor Horgan said it is important that non-Covid services continue to treat and care for patients with other illnesses, such as cancer, or those requiring emergency medical care.
“Covid is a component of our healthcare service rather than its entirety and it is really important that we are really aware of the entire healthcare service and that people get care for everything,” said Professor Horgan.
The “unintended consequences” of a level 5 lockdown on everyone’s health and welfare service must be considered, he said, accepting that “there is no easy answer.”
“It’s about striking the balance between protecting the public and protecting the healthcare service, but also ensuring that the physical and mental well-being of people beyond Covid is factored into the entire equation,” he said.
[ad_2]