Up to 80 military medics will arrive in Northern Ireland in the next week to help relieve Covid pressures on hospital wards, the health minister has told MLAs.
Robin Swann also refused to rule out the possibility that some Covid regulations that have been eased may need to be reintroduced if the pandemic worsens.
The minister appeared before his Stormont scrutiny committee today, where he faced questions about pressures on hospitals. Earlier this month, Mr Swann asked the Ministry of Defence to send armed service medics to be deployed under an arrangement known as Military Aid to Civilian Authorities (MACA).
Military personnel have been used in earlier stages of Northern Ireland's response to the health emergency. When asked for an update