We took this decision as levels of virus transmission continued to grow exponentially. Today, we have seen some levelling off in the all-Wales figures, which are still very high. Sadly, we have seen the predicted and continued growth in north Wales case numbers. As Members will be aware, this is potentially influenced by a new, more infectious strain of the virus. The new variant had been identified as a factor or a possible factor in the rapid growth in the numbers of cases in the south of England. Our own exponential growth in cases was and still is a real threat to our NHS Wales services and colleagues across social care in terms of our ability to respond.

Health boards across Wales are under increasing pressure as more and more patients are admitted with COVID-19. The current number of beds occupied in hospitals across NHS Wales is still higher now than at the peak in the initial wave in April 2020. Whilst there are physical beds available, staff absence and the nature of the hospital environment, which makes it difficult to safely distance COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients, means that usable capacity is limited and varies on a daily basis. I published a written statement on 23 December, giving stark detail on the extent of NHS system pressures here in Wales.

The coming weeks will be an extraordinary challenge for our health and social care services. We would not normally expect to face a winter with more than 2,600 beds out of use for normal winter pressures because of a new condition that we still cannot cure. We would not normally face a winter with the level of staff shortages in health and social care that we do face right across Wales. And yet still there are well-placed loud and angry voices who deny the problem, who claim that the cure cannot be worse than the virus.

Let me remind you that this is a virus to which more than 3,000 of our people have already lost their lives. More will do so. Many will recover, but it will not be easy or quick for every person that does. There is no harm-free route through this crisis, and I do not accept that the cure is worse than the virus. Each and every choice that we take to keep Wales safe comes at a very real cost to protect our NHS and to save lives.

NHS organisations will continue to work collectively to provide mutual support to one another, but the available bed capacity is reducing. We continue to see this translate into critical care pressure in all of our health boards. As a result, health boards have had to reduce or stop a range of non-COVID services in order to cope. These are difficult decisions that are never taken lightly.

Critical care is perhaps under the greatest pressure and has seen COVID-related critical care increase to 126. That is an increase of 24 per cent since 21 December, even. This rate of growth is inevitably linked to the higher community prevalence of recent weeks and is a significant concern within our overall hospital capacity, and this is likely to increase over the next two weeks.

This is the highest number of COVID-19 critical care patients we have seen in the second wave, although still lower than the peak of the first wave. However, including non-COVID patients, yesterday there were a total of 210 critical care patients in beds across Wales. This is well in excess of our normal capacity of 152 patients, or, to put it another way, critical care is operating at nearly 140 per cent of normal capacity. In parts of Wales, staffing pressures, including sickness, are reducing our options to expand further.

And I have to say, Llywydd, it is despairing and dishonest to claim that there is lots of unused critical care capacity. I have to reiterate to Members and the public that using critical care surge capacity comes at a real cost. Staff have to be transferred from other activity that cannot go ahead. Delaying or cancelling non-COVID care stores up harm that our NHS will have to return to and, sadly, harm that our NHS may not have the opportunity to resolve.