13 more Covid-19 deaths in Northern Ireland
Health Minister Robin Swann says the rising number of coronavirus-related deaths "really shows that covid has got back into our community".
A further 13 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, according to the Health Department.
“It is heartbreaking - when we’d this level of deaths back in May, I hoped we would never get here again," the health minister told UTV.
"But it really shows that covid has got back into our community.
“The level of positive cases, thankfully, is decreasing - but we are seeing more hospitalisations, more people going into ICU and unfortunately more deaths, which is a challenge to us all across the health service.”
The latest update from the department also showed 722 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 35,554.
The number of confirmed Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes has risen to 105.
It comes as the pressure on hospitals across Northern Ireland soars, and demand for beds and services proves to be overwhelming.
On Monday evening, the northern and southern trusts appealed to the public to stay away from emergency departments unless they needed urgent medical attention.
Robin Swann said he has been looking at different ways of trying to help manage the pressures, including the possibility of asking patients to book a slot in A&E departments.
“We have done a lot of work in terms of how we manage our emergency departments," he continued.
"That’s looking at different approaches, different ways of managing it, should it be phoning ahead to make sure there is availability and you book a slot in an emergency department.
"It’s not a normal way of approach, but it has been trialled elsewhere and it’s something we have to look at to make sure we can get the right medical provision to the right people when we need it at the right time.”
WATCH: Robin Swann speaks to Paul Clark on UTV Live at Six: