That's according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives organisation who say the number of patients waiting for beds at the hospital this morning was the highest since the start of the pandemic.
The union says 63 patients were waiting on trolleys in CUH today, with a total of 332 waiting for beds in hospitals around the country.
Speaking to RedFM News the INMO's Liam Conway says the situation is out of control and the rate of overcrowding in CUH is now so high that proper infection control measures cannot be maintained:
"We've got COVID-19 as an occupational hazard and a hazard in a community. So the conditions that are being experienced today they are simply intolerable, they pose serious health and safety issues for our members working in this environment. We have to remember the Emergency Department is a workplace as well, but also for patients and people of Cork who need to attend these Emergency Departments, it's simply not good enough that despite, year on year, highlighting these concerns- the government haven't acted responsible enough to deal with the overcrowding and there needs to be immediate urgency in dealing with overcrowding not just here in Cork but across the country."
