Coronavirus: Health staff bracing themselves for Covid peak

Hospitals in Northern Ireland are expecting a peak in Covid admissions this week.

The virus is set to surge 'in the third week of January,' according to modelling which informs the Department of Health's surge planning.

Last week Robin Swann warned we could see 1200 Covid positive inpatients but said that would be 'worst case scenario.'

Over the weekend 47 more Covid-related deaths were recorded and hospital capacity was at 93%.

The Department of Health's overall death toll is 1,606.

And the British Medical Association warned staff are set to face pressures 'like never before.'

Dr Tom Black said: "Many of our members are deeply worried about the coming weeks.

"We have already seen the health service come under pressure recently with calls for additional staff to voluntarily come into work, but is likely that over the next few weeks doctors will be asked to work in a new location or provide support to areas that are very overstretched.

"Many have already had planned annual leave cancelled.

"Speaking to members I know they will as always do their best for patients, but many of them have told me that they are already exhausted and deeply demoralised.

"In a recent survey of BMA members in Northern Ireland 47% of them said they were coping but were unlikely to be able to continue indefinitely, 46% said they were not able to give care to the standard they would want and 65% anticipated that their workload would increase significantly in this second wave."