Management at Cork's two main public acute hospitals have offered an assurance that, while the availability of space within their intensive care units is tight, there are vacant ICU beds there.
They also said there is significant surge capacity for more at both hospitals, should the need arise.
Cork University Hospital is currently operating with 20 ICU beds, with provision to add a further 16 ICU beds if there is a surge in demand.
Two of the 20 ICU beds at the hospital were vacant this afternoon.
In the city centre, Mercy University Hospital is currently operating with six ICU beds, with provision to treble that to 18 in the event of a surge.
It is understood there was one vacant ICU bed at Mercy University Hospital this afternoon.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the South South West Hospital Group said while access to ICU beds changes on a daily basis, neither Cork University Hospital nor Mercy University Hospital has needed to implement surge protocols to date.
The spokesperson also pointed out that there is surge capacity to add a further 45 ICU beds at other hospitals within the South South West Hospital Group, at University Hospital Kerry, University Hospital Waterford and South Tipperary General Hospital.
The spokesperson said none of these hospitals required to implement surge protocols either.
He pointed out that the intensive care units at the five hospitals within the group are managed as a group resource to optimise patient care.
