Patients in NSW faced record wait times for ambulances and spent longer in emergency departments as the state grappled with the COVID-19 Omicron variant, according to new data.
The health system was under stress as non-urgent elective surgery was suspended and the government relaxed most public health restrictions between January and March, the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Quarterly Report revealed.
Some 734,704 people attended emergency departments during the period, down 2.8 per cent from the pre-pandemic period in 2019, but well above levels from five years ago.
