The HSE's Chief Clinical Officer says a 'twindemic' of Covid and Flu this winter is possible, but not certain.
Colm Henry says recent trends in other countries show lower death rates for influenza compared to last year.
Earlier this week, the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, instructed the HSE to take steps to use all private hospital capacity available this winter.
HSE Chief Clinical Officer, Colm Henry, says flu outbreaks in places like Australia haven't led to high rates of serious illness.
"We're right to be concerned, and a lot of people have expressed concern over recent weeks.
"It's possible, but by no means certain that were going to see a twindemic.
"When we look at trends of influenza in Australia which is usually a signal to ourselves we see there was an early spike in cases, but it didn't translate through to huge pressures on their healthcare system.
"The case fatality, that proportion of cases that become so serious that they day, was perhaps lower than in previous years."
