Image source, NI Assembly

The SDLP's Matthew O'Toole says he thinks the minister has acknowledged that "all-island contact tracing is an inevitability".

"When can we see a joined-up all island testing strategy brought forward" by the department, he asks.

Mr Swann says there are regular meetings with southern counterparts.

"One of the things the member has to be conscious of - we are two jurisdictions that share this island

He says the joint approach will be north-south and east-west.

Sinn Féin's Caoimhe Arhcibald asks if the minister will consider giving agency workers temporary contracts.

Mr Swann says it's something that is being looked at and that the department is looking to ensure "those working in health service are receiving the best support we can give them at this moment in time".

"When a country goes into war, the most valued person they have is their soldier on front line.

"When we tackle coronavirus, the most valued people we have is our health workers.

"When people go to peace time," he says, they sometimes "forget their army and volunteers".

"We must never forget the value of the NHS."

Image source, NI Assembly

The DUP's Gordon Dunne pays tribute to the health professionals in Northern Ireland.

He asks about the level of PPE available to GPs as there is still "some concern".

Mr Dunne also asks about an antibody test.

There are a number of them out there on the the market but there's none of them yet verified or certified for use," says the minister.

"At this point no suitable antibody test has been identified," he adds.

Regarding PPE for GP surgeries - he says if members know of any cases where they require supplies they should contact him.

Image source, NI Assembly

Image source, NI Assembly

Pat Sheehan of Sinn Féin asks the minister about contact tracing and when it is going to be implemented.

Robin Swann replies that increasing testing is a "drive and target, not for just myself but for the executive as well".

He says contact tracing will be vital following the peak and "that's the point where the contact tracing becomes a vital tool".

He says work is ongoing to train people up "as to what contact tracing is" and that it will be enforced "when we go into the next stage".

He say that during the "initial cases we had, we were able to utilise the skilled workers in the public health agency (PHA)" but he says contact tracing is a "skill not as easy picked up as some might believe".

Image source, NI Assembly

The DUP's Alex Easton asks about healthcare workers in the independent sector, specifically referencing nursing homes.

He says that in his constituency, there is one care home where there have been 10 cases of Covid-19, and he says he has spoken to staff who have raised concerns about the amount of PPE available to them.

Mr Swann replies, "there shouldn't be an issue with PPE".

He says "the private sector care homes have a point of contact in each trust should they have an issue with PPE".

He also says that moves have been made within the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) to "move some staff from the inspection process to a support mechanism" where "members of the RQIA had to advise and support care homes" on this issue.

Paula Bradshaw of the Alliance Party asks about guidance for expectant mothers issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

She says this advises expectant mothers in the health workforce that they should be redeployed to another form of work such as admin.

"There are front line health workers now living with chronic stress because they don't feel that they should be in work," Ms Bradshaw says.

She wants to know what support is in place for such workers.

Image source, NI Assembly

Mr Swann says that if a member has a case like this they should bring it to him as he's prepared to look at it on an individual basis.

He confirms that guidance has changed recently.

"It should be in the remit of the employer to offer an alternative working place," he says.

The UUP leader Steve Aiken asks the minister whether he believes there is "sufficient testing capacity" to test healthcare workers.

Mr Swann replies that he is "confident that if a healthcare worker needs tested they will be tested".

He says this will be through either the trusts or at the SSE site, or the site that will be opened in Londonderry.

He also says there is to be another site opened in the south-west in the near future.

Image source, NI Assembly

The minister then says in terms of numbers - there are "60,096 people we have working in health and social care trusts" and "as of the 10th (April)" the number of workers not working due to Covid-19 is 274, which he says is 0.4% of the workforce.

He says the number of staff isolating is 1,430 - which is 2.1% of the workforce. He says this could be due to a number of issues, including shielding due to underlying health issues.

Image source, NI Assembly

The SDLP's Colin McGrath asks the minister how deaths are being verified and certified.

The minister replies that talking about numbers, it's important to "remember these are individuals".

"Too often when people look at graphs they forget there is a loved one behind them," he says.

Mr Swann then outlines how the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) recorded deaths.

He says it's important that those who are in need of help from their GP for issues beyond Covid-19, should continue to reach out and seek that help.

The DUP's Pam Cameron asks for clarification of the rules on outdoor exercise as they apply to persons with autism who need more than one session of exercise per day.

The minister says the key part of the guidance refers to "advice from a medical professional".

Mr Swann says he is willing to get specific advice for Mrs Cameron regarding autism.

He adds that whilst there are some exceptions to the general rules on exercise, "it's not something that I would like to see abused, it's something that I would like to see people do under advice and guidance".

Image source, NI Assembly

Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew chairs the assembly's Health Committee.

He says we know from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Control "that the way to fight this virus is to test, to then trace the people who have been in contact with positive tests and to isolate those people".

Mr Gildernew wants to know when testing will be rolled out to the care home sector and to the staff who work there.

Mr Swann says that with the additional 1,000 tests they have available the health authorities will move into the next phase of testing "to find out where the virus is within the community

"We do that by testing and by tracing," he adds.

Image source, NI Assembly

"We do that by testing and by tracing," he adds.

Regarding care homes, the minister says that any care home resident "who has shown symptoms or is symptomatic will be tested".

Mr Gildernew has also asked about the European procurement scheme for PPE.

The minister says he was not made aware of the scheme when it was offered.

He says the member knows well that he would avail of any scheme that makes PPE available to front line workers.

Robin Swann tells MLAs that the health trusts have "taken steps to increase critical care capacity at local hospitals".

He says, "there are now 143 adult ICU beds with a further 12 paediatric beds" and that there are "49 Covid patients in ICU with a further 38 non-Covid".

"Thankfully that means as it stands, and before more beds come in line, we have 56 spare ICU beds.

"We also have 197 ventilators," adds the minister, but says "as was demonstrated with the prime minister's recent ICU experience" not all ICU patients require ventilation".

He says "as it stands we have 1,900 empty beds" and that "if our modelling is accurate this should be more than sufficient capacity to meet this surge".

Image source, NI Assembly

He adds "much of the day-to-day non-Covid business of the health service continues," and that people "are still taking strokes and heart attacks".

He urges people to present to a hospital if they need to.

"Whilst having empty beds is positive, I don't want to see people who need to be in hospital not coming forward," says the minister.

He then outlines "two decisions to activate military aid to local authority" which he has made.

He says the first is around the redistribution of medical equipment to all hospitals so that are enable to enact surge plans, and that the second aspect involves provisions of technical advice and assistance.

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Swann says in terms of "next steps" - "I very must wish I could provide some certainty of what the future holds for us all.

"Modelling has indicated that we are in the peak of the first wave of the pandemic, but it's too early to confirm if the figures confirm the peak."

He then says there is a potential for a second wave later in the year, and that "while there are grounds for hope that the outbreak can be brought under control" the "outbreak has not yet reached the point where restrictions can be relaxed".

He adds that it is clear in "Northern Ireland as elsewhere in the world, the restrictions are causing hardship".

Mr Swann then turns to Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).

He says he has been "clear about the challenges" associated with PPE, adding that "pressure on supplies are significant globally".

"There is not a country in the world that truly knows the path this virus will take," says the minister.

He adds that the four-nations PPE plan was published on Friday and says there has been "mutual aid" as a result.

Mr Swann says an amount of equipment was sent to England in the last two weeks and that it will "be reimbursed," adding that England and Wales have already helped out in relation to eye equipment.

"I make no apologies for sharing our stock" says the minister, adding other nations are there "when we need".

He adds that "all staff must know where to turn" if they have concerns and that the "current use of resources is equally as important as supply chains".

Image source, NI Assembly

In relation to testing, Mr Swann says the number of tests are "growing and will continue to do so".

He says there have been 13,672 test so far, and that that figure "includes 4,151 health care workers".

The minister adds that as testing was not specifically targeted to healthcare workers at the beginning, these figures may well underestimate the total number of healthcare workers who have been tested.

He says there have been "121 confirmed cases and sadly a further six deaths, that represents six more families in mourning".

Referencing the number of tests per day, Mr Swann says "it often takes more than one test to confirm a positive or negative diagnosis".

Health Minister Robin Swann launches straight into his statement to the members.

"We are living through scenes that only three months ago would have been wholly unimaginable," he says.

He refers to concerns involving the availability of personal protective equipment, testing and the reporting of Covid-19 related deaths in recent days.

"I'd like to assure you today that I and my team across the health and social care are acutely aware of the challenges arising from these issues and we are working tirelessly to ensure that every conceivable effort is being made to help people keep safe, stay at home and to protect our NHS," the minister says.

Image source, NI Assembly

He says the work of the Covid modelling group is key to informing the work that needs to be done to ensure there is sufficient PPE available, that testing is scaled up, that hospitals, GP services and pharmacies have the capacity to deal with the demands they are facing

The minister goes into some detail on the volunteers who are joining the HSC (Health and Social Care Board) workforce.

In three weeks there have been 18,354 expressions of interest, resulting in 10,777 formal applications.

The 2,784 clinical applications from former doctors and nurses have been prioritised, Mr Swann explains.

Image source, NI Assembly

The committee meeting is opened by Roy Beggs, deputy speaker of the house.

He say minutes from the previous meeting were agreed by the deputy chair and "have been published on the committee web page, external".

He then welcomes the health minister who will make a statement "without interruption" and then "members can ask questions".

This afternoon's session is a meeting of the Ad hoc Covid-19 response committee.

The committee is the form the assembly has adopted for the duration of the coronavirus emergency

It's primary business is to allow members to hear briefings from ministers while observing social distancing.

The speaker has ruled that only 22 members can be in the assembly chamber at any given time.

At 14:30 we'll join the committee for statements from Health Minister Robin Swann and Minister for the Economy Diane Dodds.

Do stay with us.

Image source, Getty Images

That concludes this morning live coverage from Stormont.

We'll be back at 14:30 when Health Minister Robin Swann will brief the Ad Hoc Covid-19 Response Committee.

The Minister for the Economy, Dianne Dodds, will also make a statement.

Until then, enjoy some lunch, soak up some of the lovely weather and of course keep safe and continue socially distancing.

The ministerial briefing completed, the committee clerk runs through some of the fall-out and makes some suggestions about other matters they may wish to raise with the minister.

Chairperson Chris Lyttle says he's more concerned than ever about payments for substitute teachers who are not on existing contracts.

He says there seems to have been a retreat from the department's earlier talk of a hardship fund.

Image source, NI Assembly

The committee chair calls out to the DUP's Maurice Bradley - who's on an audio link - to ask questions, but the line is dead.

Peter Weir excuses himself as he has to attend a remote meeting of the executive.

That leaves permanent secretary Derek Baker to answer a question Chris Lyttle has about post-primary transfer tests.

Image source, NI Assembly

The committee chair asks if there will be a delay to these tests which are due to take place in Autumn and are organised privately by the grammar schools.

Mr Baker says it's not an issue which his department is responsible for.

He does however say he is aware that the "two organisations which deliver transfer tests on behalf of some schools are looking hard at this and considering options as they are aware if things don't return to normal in Autumn there is a big problem".

He adds "we are keeping an eye on what they are doing" but adds, "these are not our tests" and the department does not "regulate them".