The Health Minister says every private bed in the country will need to be used to cope with a "very difficult" winter ahead for the health service.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is calling for the State to do deals with private hospitals now, so public hospitals don't become over-run in the coming months.
There are concerns over how healthcare will be impacted by an expected "twindemic" of Covid-19 and flu.
Trolley watch figures by the INMO showed that there were 84 people waiting for beds yesterday at Cork University, the Mercy University Hospital and Bantry General.
Minister Stephen Donnelly says he instructed the HSE last night to use all private capacity available to help cope with the crisis.
