Chief executives of health trusts warn of 'unbearable' pressures coming in the event of a 'probable' third Covid wave in January People urged to help keep the spread of the disease down over Christmas Reporter: '); '); The chief executives of the six Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland have issued a warning about 'unbearable pressures' across the health service in the event of a 'probable' further COVID-19 spike in early January. “Several of Northern Ireland’s acute hospitals are already operating beyond capacity and flow through hospitals has been seriously impacted by required restrictions as a result of COVID-19," the health chiefs said in a joint statement.