Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said hospitals are facing a “very difficult winter” because of the so-called “twindemic” of COVID-19 and flu. 

A draft plan by the HSE has warned staff that hospitals should brace themselves for up to 20,000 patients this winter as cases of both respiratory diseases are expected to surge. 

“This year we’re facing a perfect storm,” Minister Donnelly told The Pat Kenny Show. 

“The Australians are dealing with it, they’re dealing with it in New Zealand and other southern hemisphere countries. 

“They’re experiencing a combination of COVID… and delayed presentations because of COVID. 

“They’ve had a very severe flu season. A lot of people got sick and a lot of people ended up in hospital. A lot of people have died. 

“What we’re planning for is… a very difficult winter where we potentially deal with COVID, flu, RSV and other pressures all at the same time.

“As well as historically high delayed presentations because of COVID.” 

An intensive care nurse. Picture by: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa

Vaccines

Mr Donnelly said that the best way people could protect themselves and the health service is to make sure they get all their jabs. 

“Ireland has done well on vaccines, the HSE has done well on vaccines, GPs and pharmacists have really stepped up but most of all the Irish people have done incredibly well,” he continued. 

“I was at a meeting of EU health ministers a few weeks ago in Europe and many of them are looking very enviously at the vaccine rates in Ireland. 

“And I think that is something we need to maintain and not lose sight of and never take for granted.” 

A man is vaccinated against COVID-19. (Credit Image: © Mark Hertzberg/ZUMA Press Wire)

The European Medicines Agency has recently approved a new jab designed to combat the Omicron variant and it is considered to be 5% more effective than the previous version. 

The COVID-19 vaccine will remain free for everyone and the flu vaccine is free for a number of different groups. 

“My ask, and the ask of our public health workers, is for everybody to go and get the COVID vaccine and get the flu vaccine,” he concluded.

Main image: The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews