Heath Minister Robin Swann has said it would be unfair to point the finger of blame at anyone following the chaotic scenes outside several hospital A&Es on Tuesday.
At one point 17 ambulances with patients were lined up outside Antrim Area Hospital, while inside 43 more patients were waiting for an emergency bed.
A further 21 were waiting at the Causeway Hospital yesterday morning.
A leading public health expert has said Mr Swann should resign over Northern Ireland s response to the pandemic.
Belfast-born Dr Gabriel Scally said that if it was up to him, he would change the team .
The Northern Trust explained yesterday that there were no waiting ambulances outside Antrim Area Hospital, but it remained under severe pressure .
9 key points raised by Health Minister and frontline health staff at Wednesday s coronavirus press conference We are in a critical period and our hospitals are under immense pressures
Health Minister Robin Swann, Sister Joanna Sloan, Belfast Trust and Jennifer Welsh, Chief Executive Northern Trust (Image: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye)
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Northern Trust considers postponing staff holidays amid Covid pressures
Union rep in Trust says workers already burnt-out
Staff at Antrim Area Hospital where ambulances were backed up on Tuesday may have holidays postponed
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RECAP as Health Minister Robin Swann leads Northern Ireland coronavirus press conference
Wednesday s Department of Health dashboard update shows that eight of NI s 12 hospitals are operating over capacity
Health Minister Robin Swann
The Health Minister Robin Swann, Jennifer Welsh Chief Executive Northern Trust and Sister Joanna Sloan Belfast Trust are to address the media this afternoon.
It follows news that the ED at Antrim Area hospital was forced to treat patients in the car park as 17 ambulances queued with patients on Tuesday afternoon.
Today s Department of Health dashboard update shows that eight of NI s 12 hospitals are operating over capacity, while overall they are running at 102% capacity.
The Health Minister Robin Swann is set to recommend a series of “crucial interventions” to the NI Executive when it meets on Thursday after warning the threat of Covid will ”cast a shadow well into January.”
Speaking at Wednesday’s media briefing, Mr Swann admitted Northern Ireland is “not where we want to be” after the recent two weeks of restrictions failed to bring the reproductive rate of the virus (R-rate) down to the required level.
A further eight deaths linked to Covid-19 were recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the Department of Health’s total to 1,143.
There have been 510 more positive tests, taking the overall total to 59,631.