An infectious diseases consultant in Cork is warning our health system may be overwhelmed by critical coronavirus cases.
The European Centre for Disease Control says Ireland can cope with 5.6 critical patients in every 100 thousand, which is the lowest level in Europe.
1,564 people now have Covid 19 here and nine people have died.
Consultant in Infectious Diseases at CUH and the Mercy University Hospital, Dr Arthur Jackson, says the critical cases are a worry.
"Bed capacity has been expanded by trying to move all non emergency cases out of the hospital, so we've expanded bed numbers from that point of view.
"But there's no question that if this hits as badly as it has hit in some other parts of the world, there will be pinch points in numbers of beds, numbers of ICU beds and flow of healthcare workers."
