There has been an increase in the number of patients presenting at ED's who require admission to hospitals, with close to 100 people on trolleys in the Shannonside Northern Sound region today.
Some facilities are seeing attendances that would normally be expected in a winter surge.
Saolta Hospitals in Galway are experiencing the worst overcrowding locally today with 25 people waiting for a bed in UHG and 19 in Portiuncula in Ballinasloe.
Midlands regional Hospital in Mullingar is facing 22 patients waiting on trolleys, while Sligo University Hospital is dealing with 16 people waiting for a bed.
Elsewhere in the region Tullamore Hospital and Cavan General Hospital are reporting 5 and 4 patients waiting respectively.
The number of people with Covid-19 in Irish hospitals has dropped to 50 today, after being as high as 60 on Wednesday.
Chief Operations Officer with the HSE Anne O Connor says they are monitoring the situation closely.
