All registered deaths in Ireland up to January 29th were analysed using a European monitoring algorithm

There were 647 Covid-19 cases (PCR) in Cork in the 14 days up to midnight on January 16

Flu was already at levels that made this winter ‘an exceptional season’, the HSE said.

Professor Kingston Mills said the variant is already becoming the dominant strain in the US

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called for stronger public health advice on mask-wearing amid the hospital overcrowding crisis

People admitted to emergency departments are facing an average wait time of 13.8 hours, the HSE said.

Stephen Donnelly said an early wave of the flu season, combined with Covid and RSV, has put hospitals under increased pressure.

Consultant Professor Declan Lyons has repeated a warning about the “inhumane” and dangerous conditions in the emergency department in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) because of serious overcrowding

The HSE's chief operations officer said Emergency Departments are facing an "unprecedented combination of very high levels of flu, Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses"

“This year is different in that it’s the first year in a few years where there’s a very high level of mixing of people and peoples’ immunity, particularly younger children, haven’t been exposed to these before also.” 

Leo Varadkar, who had a scheduled meeting with HSE management on Friday, said overtime should also be used to minimise the suffering and inconvenience to patients

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A National Crisis Management Team has been established amid predictions the health service will come under the 'highest pressure' ever in the coming weeks

The HSE said flu and Covid-19 infection and hospitalisation numbers are likely to rise 'very rapidly'

The chief medical officer Professor Breda Smyth has urged vulnerable people to wear masks when attending religious services over the Christmas period

Dr Colm Henry said Covid cases were up 75% and hospital admissions up 90% in December

Professor Breda Smith said flu cases are up 80 per cent in the past week

A Cork pharmacist has said parents do not need to panic following the death of a Dublin child linked to strep A

Prof Breda Smyth told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that uptake on the nasal vaccine for flu for children has been less than 10 percent.

The HSE’s public health medicine and flu lead, Dr Aparna Keegan has called on all parents to bring their children aged two years to 19 years to get their flu vaccine

“The HSE has launched the Winter Flu Vaccine campaign and the flu vaccine is now available as well as the Covid booster."

Prof O’Neill said that there will “definitely be a surge” of these respiratory viruses, including Covid-19, but that there “hopefully won’t be a huge increase in hospitalisations because of the vaccination campaign and natural immunity combined”.

This year, there is the option to book an appointment to get a flu and Covid-19 vaccination together at the same appointment.

Dr Colm Henry said there would be a rise in infectious illnesses this winter such as flu, and another Covid variant was possible

Private hospitals must be asked to be part of the overall health service this winter with a view to making sure that elective admissions were not cancelled, she said.

HSE Clinical Advisor and Group Lead Older Persons Services and Geriatrician SI in Trauma and Orthopaedic at CUH Dr Emer Ahern said preparations are underway for a flu season and what she said will likely be another Covid surge.

Vaccination and adding bed capacity will be among the key measures taken by the HSE this winter

The HSE is renting 1,800 private hospital beds every week to try to mitigate against "capacity issues" in the public system

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said an upsurge in both flu and Covid-19 is expected

Of the 255 cases notified, 21 were in the HSE South region, which comprises Cork and Kerry

The Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine nasal spray vaccine is approved for children aged two to 17 years

Former Lord Mayor and GP John Sheehan is urging people to get the flu vaccine which is available in pharmacies and GPs at the moment. Dr Sheehan said there were a lot more viral and respiratory illnesses currently and they are hitting people hard.

Health minister Stephen Donnelly has urged those most vulnerable to get the free flu vaccine as the country heads into the winter.

Cork GPs have highlighted a shortage of vaccines aimed at tackling pneumonia and the flu, something that the HSE has denied.

The HSE has asked GPs across Cork and Ireland to ensure that the “most vulnerable” are prioritised for flu vaccination amid “unprecedented demand” for the vaccine nationally and internationally.

GPs in Cork have been informed of “significantly limited” flu vaccine supply ahead of their third delivery due to shipment delays.

A drive-thru flu vaccine clinic in Cork has the capacity to vaccinate around 1,800 people per day but a lack of vaccine stock is impacting its operation.

International flu vaccine shortages have caused delays in vaccination in Cork that could see distribution pushed back for weeks or months, according to a Cork GP.

A drive-thru vaccine clinic set to open in Cork in the coming weeks will depend on increased vaccine supply, according to a GP involved in the scheme.

VISITORS have been urged to avoid Cork University Hospital amid a continuation of the vomiting bug and flu outbreak which has flooded the hospital’s isolation units.

ELDERLY people are particularly vulnerable to the new strain of influenza which is affecting people across Ireland, a Cork GP has warned.

MASSGOERS in Cork have been asked not to shake hands as a sign of peace by the Bishop of Cork.

THE flu crisis that has hit hospital A&Es and GP surgeries is expected to worsen in the days ahead. Cork-based GP Dr John Sheehan has warned that the numbers presenting with flu will continue to rise.

Strict visitor restrictions have been put in place with immediate effect at Cork University Hospital due to the number of patients who have presented with flu-like symptoms.

PEOPLE experiencing life-threatening emergencies are waiting over forty minutes for an ambulance in some cases because of the ongoing trolley crisis in emergency departments.

ALMOST 60 patients were lying on trolleys in Cork hospitals yesterday amid warnings of a major spike in flu cases and appeals for the Minister for Health to get a grip on the crisis.

A CORK GP has warned that a major spike in flu cases has hit local hospitals and he urged patients to stay at home.

Bill Gates has warned the world would be "vulnerable" to a quick-spreading deadly flu outbreak. The billionaire philanthropist said the Ebola and Zika outbreaks exposed weaknesses in the ability to swiftly tackle health crises.