The Health Minister is expected to update senior ministers later this morning on the overcrowding issues facing Irish hospitals.
It comes after the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation counted 931 people on trolleys yesterday, a new record.
Minister Stephen Donnelly says despite calls from the INMO to reintroduce a mask mandate, public health advice is unlikely to change.
However, he admits the wave of flu infections is expected to get worse before it gets better:
"The HSE's view today, when I met them, is this is likely to get worse."
Minister Stephen Donnelly admits it’s unacceptable that 931 people were in hospital today without a bed. He concedes it will get worse before it gets better. pic.twitter.com/2HW6AcUOLz
— Mairéad Cleary (@maireadcleary7) January 3, 2023
"We are likely to see more pressure. They don't believe the flu wave has peaked. We'll have more up-to-date figures."
"It's not acceptable and it's never been acceptable."
"The Healthcare professionals have said to us over the years, 'we need more beds', and they're right."
