Covid is now part of the demand for healthcare, and should no longer be treated as a standalone issue.
That's the view of the Irish Patients' Association, which says it's not the only reason for current hospital delays.
The number of people being treated in hospitals has exceeded one thousand for the second consecutive day.
Stephen McMahon, from the Irish Patients Association, admits the increase in cases has led to more demand, but says hospital systems need to be reformed to cope with it:
"First of all, we would accept that COVID is now on the increase and is creating extra demands on the healthcare system, but we must now accept that Covid is part of the demands of our healthcare system and not necessarily a standalone problems to be dealt with."
