St Luke’s General Hospital caters for a population of 156,000 from Carlow and Kilkenny, and is currently dealing with both cases of both Covid-19 and an outbreak of the superbug CPE.
CPE (Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales) are bacteria that live in the gut which are resistant to many antibiotics. They are more likely to spread to people who are already very sick, with healthy people at very low risk of infection. Symptoms of a CPE infection can include a high temperature, aches and pains, chills, weakness and confusion.
Hospital staff are believed to be under mounting pressure trying to deal with both outbreaks, amid concern about the hospital's close proximity to the counties Laois, Kildare and Offaly which remain under local lockdowns following a surge in Covid-19 cases.
In the last fortnight, there have been 28 Covid-19 cases in Carlow and Kilkenny – 12 were reported by the Department of Health on Thursday evening.
On Tuesday, hospital management issued an appeal for locals not to turn up at the emergency department in Kilkenny unless it was absolutely necessary.
Visitors are being advised to only attend the department if absolutely necessary and to not bring children if at all possible.
There were 21 patients without beds waiting on trolleys at the hospital on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Ireland East Hospital Group said the hospital and its emergency department are extremely busy: “Hospital management apologises for the inconvenience to patients and their families and thanks the public for their cooperation at this time.
“Management would ask the public, where possible, to telephone their GP or pharmacist in the first instance to seek the best advice, rather than presenting at the hospital.
"St Luke's Hospital would like to assure people that anyone seriously injured or ill will be assessed and treated as a priority."
