A SENIOR staff member at the Mater Hospital is urging people to get vaccinated amid a fourth surge of Covid-19 patients at the site.
Last weekend, the Belfast Trust said the Mater Hospital was “struggling to cope” and under “extreme pressure” as they care for an increasing number of Covid-19 patients. The Trust also asked nursing staff to come into work to help with the workload.
Bernie Carey, Interim Services Manager at Mater Hospital, said the Crumlin Road site was well into a fourth surge of the pandemic.
“We are very busy with approximately 80 patients who are Covid-19 positive on site,” she explained. “This is the fourth surge that we are in.
“The staff are well-trained and everything is in place to try and deal with the surge.
“They are tired and it is that thing where they experienced a bit of normality for a few months, getting annual leave and things like that and now they are straight into this surge.
“It is very hard on them but they are coping well and are very upbeat.”
Bernie is appealing to people, who have not yet been vaccinated to do so, especially young adults.
“We are definitely seeing a different cohert of patients from the last surge. They are much younger,” she added. “It is upsetting for staff to see these younger patients need respiratory support.
“My message for young people out there especially is that I urge them to follow the medical science and get themselves vaccinated.
“Being vaccinated is absolutely making a difference. The medical science is out there to prove this and it will enable you to protect yourself, your family and our staff.”
