The committee's chairman, Sinn Féin's Colm Gildernew, asks Prof Ian Young about cancelled surgeries.
He wants to know xo what has "gone wrong on this occasion that sees us back in the situation we have been in as previous surges and how could that have been avoided?"
Prof Young responds saying the waves of the epidemic impose "considerable additional pressures" in terms of admissions.
He says he hopes the current wave will lead to less hospital pressure as result of covid.
Again he says that is a result of a successful vaccination programme.
We are “all acutely aware of the pressures on our colleagues in primary care and the hospital system”.
He says this wave is in the summer and that “exhausted staff need to take holidays” to ensure their resilience. Another reason is the number of people who need to self-isolate.
Prof Young says this wave is in the context of "both larger case numbers and cases having a larger number of contacts” as a consequence of relaxation of Covid rules.
“We need to remember the focus must be on pushing vaccination, and encouraging adherence to positive behaviour," he adds.