Health officials in Northern Ireland have warned Covid passports may not be enough to stop hospitals being overwhelmed and "more severe restrictions" may need to be considered next month.
A Covid-19 modelling paper from the Department of Health has informed Executive ministers that positive cases have risen by 23% in a week.
The paper, seen by the PA news agency, attributes the surge partly to relaxations in the hospitality sector at the end of October and the return of schools after mid-term.
Hospital admissions have risen by 19% in the last week, while occupancy is up 10%. The conversion rate of cases to hospital admissions has risen above 2% for the first time since early September, and is now estimated at around 2.8%.