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# Healthcare
Cork hospital so busy since Christmas Day, it's asking people to stay away
There was a huge surge in demand over the Christmas period.
CORK UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL has asked the public to avoid its Emergency Department, if possible, following a huge spike in demand.
Management said that it continues to “experience very high demand for services and emergency care”.
Between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, 1,365 people attended A&E – 361 by ambulance.
Of those, 501 were admitted.
The hospital is also dealing with having 16 beds closed due to Infection Control procedures to deal with large numbers of patients with Norovirus – the winter vomiting bug.
In a statement, the hospital said: “We are working in close cooperation with our sister hospital, Mercy University Hospital, to manage the surge in demand.
“If at all possible we are asking the public to avail of alternatives if appropriate. These would include SouthDoc or the Urgent Care Centre in Gurranabraher.
“As always we are grateful for the support of the public at this challenging time.”
More: This cold winter spell isn’t going to last for long
