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Health workers who are on leave for being a close contact of a Covid-19 case are asked to return to work if they are asymptomatic due to stress on the health service.
There are currently more than 7,000 HSE employees out of work, Chief Operating Officer Ann O’Connor confirmed this morning.
There are currently 1,750 Covid-19 patients in the hospital, 172 of them in the ICU, according to the latest figures. Both figures are the highest figures ever recorded in the pandemic.
The INMO has asked the government today to declare a National Emergency due to the hospital crisis, as they assure that the health service is not coping with the rebound in the disease.
Speaking on Morning Ireland, the director of operations said there are 14 Irish hospitals with more than 50 cases of Covid-19 and six with more than 100. She said that the University Hospital of Cork, the University Hospital of Limerick and the Galway University Hospital are the worst hit.
Ms O’Connor said that in “ordinary circumstances” the close contacts of the cases would be out for 14 days, but said “that is not available to us in that case.”
“Clearly that is something we would use as a last resort… it has been used. Where people are in close contact with cases and asymptomatic, there is a process where they are monitored for occupational health and can return to work. We had to do that.
“On the weekend, we had to call Letterkenny staff to come over as we were under a lot of pressure and I would see that happen elsewhere.
“The reality is that now the demand is so high, and the numbers are so high, that we need people at work and given the level of absenteeism, that is becoming very difficult. This is widespread in our nursing homes and in our hospitals, ”Ms O’Connor confirmed.
The 7,000 unemployed employees are found in nursing homes, home support services and community services, as well as acute care hospitals.
“When you all add up, there are more than 7,000 people,” said Ms O’Connor, adding: “It is a significant challenge for us, people are out because they are Covid positive or because they are close contacts, so nobody knows he needs more at work and anything someone can do to help is very important. “
HSE’s director of operations indicated that the health service is prioritizing testing for these returning close contacts and they must have a negative test to return to work.
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