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A sign for the Emergency Department seen outside the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin. Alamy Stock Photo

Surge in number of people hospitalised with flu 'at upper end of predictions', HSE warns

The HSE has warned that it expects pressure to increase on the health system over the coming days.

THE NUMBER OF people hospitalised with flu is “at the upper end” of what the the HSE had predicted for the post-Christmas period.

As of this afternoon there were 742 people in hospital with flu, with the HSE warning that it expects pressure to increase on the health system over the coming days.

While the HSE had “expected and planned for a surge in hospitalisations at this time, the numbers so far are at the upper end of what they had predicted”, a spokesperson said.

It warned that any surge in hospitalisations could mean “people with less severe injuries and symptoms may have to wait to be seen”, with emergency departments needing to treat seriously ill patients and the sickest patients first.

The HSE said that from today, additional daytime GP expanded clinics are available from some practices and patients should check if their GP is participating in this arrangement. Additional supports for GP out-of-hour services are also being provided.

HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said hospitals have been “working well over the Christmas period”, partly in thanks to “senior clinical staff on site ensuring patients are discharged when possible, and ensuring efficient” flow of patients through emergency departments.

“We expect pressure to continue over the coming days and we would urge the public to use alternative healthcare services for treatment such as GP, GP Out of Hours, injury units and pharmacies when appropriate,” Gloster said.

“But if patients are very sick and in an emergency situation, they should of course come to their nearest Emergency Department.”

Please also be aware of any hospital visiting restrictions due to circulating infections, and for infection prevention and control purposes, which can be found on the HSE website.

The HSE added that it’s still not too late to get vaccinated, with flu and Covid-19 vaccination for target groups remaining available – to see what vaccines are recommended for you: visit hse.ie, call HSELive on 1800 700 700 or talk to a participating GP or pharmacist.

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    Mute James Reardon
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    Dec 27th 2024, 2:40 PM

    Hospitals are packed at any given day, yet FFG aren’t addressing it. Shocked how anyone in the Midwest can vote for them given what shambles they created.

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    Mute Johnny Wilson
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    Dec 27th 2024, 2:55 PM

    @James Reardon: apart from increasing funding, staffing and beds ?

    48
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    Mute another one? what's going on is the semi state sec
    Favourite another one? what's going on is the semi state sec
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    Dec 27th 2024, 3:07 PM

    @Johnny Wilson: Does throwing money at it fix the underlying issues? The HSE budget in 2014 was 13.7 billion, it was 22.8 billion this year. Still major issues and overcrowding. Private hospitals are making a mint from public hospital overflow.

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    Mute Dermot Blaine
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    Dec 27th 2024, 3:10 PM

    @James Reardon: you know there’s a readily available vaccine, free for vulnerable groups, that would largely prevent this surge. Thanks to lies and misinformation, too many people are now hesitant to take it. When it was predicted this surge would happen the HSE were accused of scaremongering.

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    Mute Me Me
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    Dec 27th 2024, 3:24 PM

    @Dermot Blaine: Exactly.

    29
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    Mute James Reardon
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    Dec 27th 2024, 4:09 PM

    @Dermot Blaine: and what of the overcrowding all year around?? Because misinformation, vaccine denial blah blah blah blah. It’s complete and utter mismanagement, and if you read my comment I specifically mention the Midwest.

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    Mute Dermot Blaine
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    Dec 27th 2024, 4:29 PM

    @James Reardon: yes there is overcrowding all year round and it’s a disgrace and mismanagement. All the more reason to take preventative measures when they’re available. And vaccine misinformation and scaremongering by idiotitic vaccine deniers is a dangerous element to add into the mix.

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Dec 27th 2024, 4:42 PM

    @another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec: Private hospitals like the Vhi? … hmmmm

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    Mute John Moore
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    Dec 27th 2024, 5:37 PM

    @James Reardon: More money has gone into that health service year after year for about a decade now. It’s not for lack of funding. We put one of the highest amounts per head of population into it in the EU. There are obviously vast other issues there which essentially mean the extra funding goes into a black hole and lines certain people pockets. Health services all over Europe are experiencing the same issues.

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    Mute Vincent Alexander
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    Dec 27th 2024, 5:59 PM

    @James Reardon: Who do you suggest we vote for? Not SF. There is also a hospital crisis in Northern Ireland where SF are in power and the situation is getting worse.

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    Mute Nemethon
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    Dec 27th 2024, 7:13 PM

    @Johnny Wilson: wouldn’t make a difference if any given government in Ireland horses billions at the HSE o a daily basis the HSE is a black hole so much leakage and the cheques keep on coming.

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    Mute Chris
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    Dec 27th 2024, 11:54 PM

    Exactly Dermot we all know big pharma doesn’t lie

    Pfizer in business over a 100 years
    Never cured 1 single disease

    Google Micheal Yeadon

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    Mute H Woo
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    Dec 27th 2024, 11:55 PM

    @Nemethon:
    Ireland, Finland and Germany with the top amount of nurses per head of population in Europe and we still have to listen to the lady from the INO complaining about numbers.
    Also INO do their trolly count before 8am before the day stift get around to sorting out the nights intake.

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    Mute Brian Hunt
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    Dec 28th 2024, 1:32 AM

    @Dermot Blaine: I’ve never heard anyone questioning the flu vaccine, Covid yes, but not the flu!

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Dec 27th 2024, 3:01 PM

    Use an alternative healthcare for treatment such as a GP. Well I’m guessing Mr Gloster has not been ill lately because literally everyone I know who has been ill in the last year cannot get a GP visit within 4 days of calling the GP office.

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Dec 27th 2024, 4:44 PM

    @Ger Whelan: There are no problems, everything is fine, people are just a little sick thats all = governmental ‘cognitive dissonance’ imo

    12
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    Mute Michael Reilly
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    Dec 27th 2024, 10:08 PM

    @Ger Whelan: Three 24 hour walk in clinics in Limerick. No waiting.

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    Mute Tom Newell
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    Dec 27th 2024, 3:55 PM

    Hse management are on par with rte management at this stage….given far too much money with no accountability whatsoever.

    24 billion budget and yet things seem to be getting worse instead of better. Also it’s time to start asking how suddenly GP’s are so over run since covid with many people having no choice but to go and clog up A&E departments cos they can’t get appointments

    Something seriously wrong

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    Mute H Woo
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    Dec 28th 2024, 12:04 AM

    @Tom Newell:
    Lady GPs tend to work less hours and part time compared to their male counterparts. So less doctoring hours available due to females now in the majority.

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    Mute Maros Pinka
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    Dec 27th 2024, 2:57 PM

    Next 2 weeks will be crucial.

    59
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    Mute John Fahy
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    Dec 27th 2024, 2:25 PM

    Does anyone know where MonkeyPox went to??

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Dec 27th 2024, 2:34 PM

    @John Fahy: In 2024, over 20,000 mpox cases, including over 600 deaths (confirmed and suspected), due to MPOX have been reported from Africa Union Member States, including over 5000 confirmed cases. The majority of cases and deaths reported are among <15-year-olds (82% of deaths) according to Africa CDC. Belgium reported a new case of the more lethal clade 1b mpox a few days ago.

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    Mute Veronica Waastrumpet
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    Dec 27th 2024, 3:51 PM

    @John Fahy: MonkeyPox went to heaven.

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Dec 27th 2024, 4:49 PM

    @Veronica Waastrumpet: What’s ‘heaven’?

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    Mute Veronica Waastrumpet
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    Dec 27th 2024, 7:13 PM

    @Thesaltyurchin: if only post-punk indie were your thing, bootcut coleslaw carvery boy!

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    Mute The next small thing
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    Dec 27th 2024, 8:29 PM

    @Veronica Waastrumpet: would it not be “monkeypox gone to heaven”, will have to give it a listen now

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    Mute TheLightFantastic
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    Dec 27th 2024, 3:18 PM

    People need to start taking responsibility for their own health instead of solely relying on doctors who only have antibiotics & steroids as a solution in these respiratory illnesses. Ultimately all they do is undermine your health & immune system. Also learn to treat a fever as your friend, if it’s controlled it will kill off viruses.

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Dec 27th 2024, 4:48 PM

    @TheLightFantastic: Its mad we don’t learn any of this in school. All of us have genetics that predispose us to particular illnesses, often fatal, do we learn about that? philosophy? driving? etc. nah.

    14
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    Mute Brian D'Arcy
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    Dec 27th 2024, 2:33 PM

    Sure just pay private hospitals small fortunes and that will fix everything, private healthcare has been shown not to work, otherwise why would the state and public hospitals be paying towards them.

    26
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    Mute Johnny Wilson
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    Dec 27th 2024, 2:57 PM

    @Brian D’Arcy: private health care works very well. Been to Beacon earlier this year, was seen and treated very quickly.

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    Mute Nemethon
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    Dec 27th 2024, 7:21 PM

    There was a time when you had a bad flu you just took to the bed or just got on with it as was the case when I was growing up you wouldn’t be allowed go back to bed nowadays when people have the flu they want to label it by going to the doctor therefore infecting the people in the waiting room then the doctor then off to the chemist infect everyone there after that oh yeah I need bread off to Aldi infect everyone there and the 2 people you knew and told them this is the worse dose you’ve ever had. Just stay at home ffs take paracetamol drink lots of fluids. I’ve had it bad at the start of the month but went out walking daily and avoided people.

    25
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    Mute Frank O'Hara
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    Dec 27th 2024, 5:15 PM

    The HSE is simply broken beyond repair. Its budget has nearly doubled since 2015, yet the outcomes are still not improving. We need to fully privatise the HSE and abolish the state healthcare bureaucracy. Instead of paying for healthcare through our taxes which are pooled together, people should instead pay hospitals and doctors directly and bypass any state middleman. Hospitals and doctors would compete with one another for patients and consumers would select the level of treatment from a hospital menu based on their level of income. Ambulances should also be fully private and should be run like an Uber-style company app. You can select different quality of ambulances (UberX Uber Comfort, Uber Black) based on what sort of experience you are looking for when being transported to hospital.

    12
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    Mute Veronica Waastrumpet
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    Dec 27th 2024, 7:30 PM

    @Frank O’Hara: Uber app for trolleys. Winner.

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    Mute JoeJoe Kilbride
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    Dec 27th 2024, 11:50 PM

    @Frank O’Hara: yeah ‘cos for origin healthcare works so well in the US

    1
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    Mute Mick Hanna
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    Dec 27th 2024, 8:15 PM

    Get your Flu Jab…It’s Not rocket science!

    12
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    Mute Concerned Driver
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    Dec 27th 2024, 9:13 PM

    @Mick Hanna: I did. Still got an awful dose of flu. Second Christmas in a row :(

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    Mute Mick Hanna
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    Dec 27th 2024, 10:16 PM

    @Concerned Driver: In the 2 years of Lockdown…Wearing a Mask and with Distancing…Never once had a cold or flu. A record for me ,in which something has to be said. IF people feel it coming on…Please….Wear a mask, show respect for others and Distance yourself….or Stay at home and treat it at the First Sign.

    12
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    Mute John Martin
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    Dec 27th 2024, 10:18 PM

    During the Covid crisis, I worked through it, as well as volunteering helping the homeless. So, when the vaccine became available, I thought, if I ain’t got the bug now, I stand a good chance of avoiding the thing altogether. Now, after this vaccine was introduced, and 19 out of 20 people took it. I was all of a sudden; selfish, a burden on the tax payer, stupid, misinformed and a lot of other labels, made by people who had never met me. I mean, how I am still here is a complete shock.

    15
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    Mute Siobhan Bergin
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    Dec 28th 2024, 12:19 AM

    It’s about time GPs sent people home and advising on management of symptoms, instead of into busy EDs putting everyone at risk..

    9
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    Mute Concerned Driver
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    Dec 27th 2024, 9:13 PM

    Second Christmas in a row that I’m down with the flu :(

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    Mute Kevin O Brien
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    Dec 27th 2024, 11:56 PM

    The covid vaccine has compromised all the believers immune systems cant say they were not warned

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    Mute Jack Hayes
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    Dec 27th 2024, 4:38 PM

    What would a ‘do your own research’ trolls say? It’s just the ‘flu, I’m guessing.

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    Mute Veronica Waastrumpet
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    Dec 27th 2024, 7:29 PM

    Bloody wokies. You cant even plug in a USB-B now.

    2
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    Mute Mick Hanna
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    Dec 27th 2024, 8:19 PM

    @Veronica Waastrumpet: We are falling over USB Chargers. This has been on the cards for years. No need for 100 different types…when One Will FIT All…It makes sense as Del Boy often says. ; – )

    13
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