Three treated on trolleys at St Luke’s amid warnings of a ‘surge’ in winter flu cases

LOCAL hospitals are bracing themselves for a “surge” in flu cases over the coming weeks.

So far, hospital overcrowding has not been a major problem in Kilkenny over the traditionally busy festive season.

Just three patients were treated on trolleys yesterday at St Luke’s General Hospital, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Associates’ latest trolley and ward watch figures.

Overall some 166 patients were treated on trolleys in hospitals across the country yesterday. This is roughly half the figure recorded for the same period in 2017, which was the worst winter on record for hospital overcrowding.

The unseasonably mild temperatures experienced so far this winter has contributed to the fall in the number of patients presenting with flu.

However Health Minister Minister Simon Harris has warned there will be a “surge” in patients with flu presenting at hospitals over the coming weeks.

The Health Service Executive’s Anne O’Connor also warned that flu levels are expected to rise in the coming weeks.

“Flu levels still remain low, we do expect them to rise in January, but they remain low,” she said.