The David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh has been assessed as an alternate site to care for patients during the coronavirus pandemic, Allegheny County officials said Tuesday.

County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said the assessment of the Downtown facility was conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Teams from the Corps of Engineers have been evaluating facilities nationwide at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“The county has equipment including oxygen delivery systems and transportation if needed,” Bogen said during a press briefing.

Matt Brown, Chief of Emergency Services, said his department has begun to work with Pittsburgh’s Sports & Exhibition Authority, which owns the convention center, to secure it as an alternate care site, if needed.

The center would allow hospitals to transfer their least acute patients to open up additional space for acute covid-19 patients, Brown said.

“To be clear, this work is anticipatory at this time. There is not a current need for an alternate care site in our community. We are preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best, as is often the mantra of emergency services personnel,” Brown said. “Conversations will continue and, if a site is needed, additional details will be worked out and information provided to the public as appropriate.”

Health care systems in Western Pennsylvania have said they are preparing for a potential surge in patients with covid-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. State officials on Tuesday said 4,843 people in the state have tested positive for the virus.

Temporary hospitals are surfacing nationwide to provide relief to hospitals. State and local governments are busy trying to identify places where they could house a surge of sick patients as the virus continues to spread.

In New York City, a 68-bed emergency field hospital has been erected in Central Park, USA Today reported. The makeshift hospital of 14 tents will be equipped with an intensive care unit with 10 beds and 10 ventilators.

New York City also converted the Javits Convention Center into a 2,500-bed emergency facility, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Minnesota emergency management officials have said they are considering a shuttered private prison in the western part of the state.

It is unclear how many hospital beds could be placed at the Pittsburgh convention center.

The convention center includes 313,400 square feet of exhibit space, 51 meeting rooms and two lecture halls, according to its website.

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