THE Western Trust has now joined the four other trusts in the North of Ireland to cancel surgerical operation because of COVID-19 pressures.
Bed capacity across all hospitals in the last 24 hours is now at 103 per cent as the variant of Coronavirus sweeps across the country.
There were a further 17 deaths and a further 1,410 new cases of the deadly virus in the last 24 hours.
A total of 599 people are in hospital with Coronavirus with 44 in intensive care.
Sadly, two of those deaths were recorded in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.
This evening the Western Trust said it is “facing unprecedented pressures due to the escalating rate” of Covid infections.
Director of acute hospitals Geraldine McKay said routine elective inpatient, outpatient and day case surgeries have now been postponed until further notice.
She said the decision was “very regrettable, but necessary”.
“Red flag and some time critical procedures and clinics will continue, but will be reviewed daily,” she said.
Should the number of Covid patients further increase, she added, the trust will “have no option but to move to perform emergency and trauma surgery only”.
And that will not include cancer or red flag surgery, she added.
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