A health official in Northern Ireland has said the pressure on hospitals is building, as the Antrim Area Hospital warned it is operating beyond capacity.
Director of Operations for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust Wendy Magowan said there were 35 people in the hospital's emergency department this morning, 33 of whom are waiting for a bed.
The figure is up from 27 yesterday.
It comes as the latest figures from the Department of Health show that 722 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall total to 35,554.
It recorded a further 13 deaths, taking the overall death toll to 671.
There are 360 confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital, with 38 in ICU, 33 of whom are on ventilators.
The seven day infection rate per 100,000 of population for Northern Ireland is 345.1.
Derry City and Strabane Council area, with a rate of 489.1, no longer has the highest rate.
It has been overtaken by Mid Ulster, which has a 7-day rate of 536.9.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Magowan said consultants had expressed concern about the fact that if someone presented with a serious illness or injury that was not related to Covid-19, there was nowhere to treat them.
"Sadly, that is a picture that we are seeing across Northern Ireland," she said.
"Not only in Antrim Area Hospital. The pressure on hospitals is certainly building and it is so much more complicated because of Covid".
As the day progresses and the Antrim hospital receives more referrals, the pressure will build, Ms Magowan added.
She said patients are being left waiting in ambulances, which is not only distressing for them, but also causes delays for the emergency service.
There "is nowhere to offload patients" because the emergency department is overcrowded, she said.
"The last time the numbers were high, during the first surge, there was quite a bit of capacity.
"People were almost afraid to come to hospital - and that wasn't necessarily a good thing - but we had much more capacity.
"Our attendances in ED were really low, we had much fewer people in hospital. We're now back to our normal numbers, and we all know that the system was already under pressure pre-Covid."
Rise in deaths 'heart breaking' - Swann
Stormont health minister Robin Swann has described the daily death total connected to Covid-19 reaching double figures for the first time since May as "heart breaking".
"I never thought we would be getting back to seeing deaths in double figures after where we were back in May but unfortunately we are where we now see those," he told the BBC.
"I am asking people now to dig in, follow the regulations and the advice the Executive is putting out.
"We have seen in regard to the number of positive cases decreases of those, significant decreases especially in Derry City and Strabane, sitting in the region now of roughly 480 cases per 100,000.
"Fourteen days ago we were at nearly 1,000.
"We are a week-and-a-half into the current restrictions across the whole of Northern Ireland and we are starting to see a small decrease."
Nine test positive for Covid-19 on Ulster Hospital ward
Two patients and seven members of staff on a ward at the Ulster Hospital on the outskirts of Belfast have tested positive for Covid-19.
Nine other patients are self-isolating and the ward has been closed to new admissions and visitors.
"The staff members who have tested positive are all following public health guidance and are self-isolating at home," a spokeswoman for the South Eastern Health Trust said.
"Additional infection prevention and control measures are in place to contain any further spread.
"We would like to reassure all patients and members of the public attending the Ulster Hospital that it is safe to do so.
"Relatives of patients in Ward 16 should contact the ward directly if they have any queries."
Additional reporting PA
