Robin Swann said the Executive will do all it can to avoid imposing fresh measures and added that another lockdown would represent a "detrimental step" for the region.
The minister said the local health service simply does not have enough staff to cope with the current pressures."I don't have enough nurses, I don't have enough doctors," he told BBC Radio Ulster.Responding to criticism over a vaccine booster programme that is lagging behind the rest of the UK, Mr Swann acknowledged it had been "slow to start" but he said GPs and community pharmacies are now in a position to ramp up the rollout of the jabs.
He added: "If we have to go through into another lockdown, I think it will be a detrimental step that I wouldn't want to recommend."
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