The Health Minister says te pressure on some hospitals extreme

Counties Manukau DHB paid GPs to see patients to relieve Middlemore Hospital's ED during the weekend.

A 50 year-old woman died with a brain bleed last week - allegedly after being told by Middlemore staff it would be eight hours before she could be examined.

Andrew Little says the demand from Covid-19 and resurging flu with open borders was anticipated.

But he says the level of staff absenteeism wasn't predicted - and all of those factors are stressing the system.