There have been a further 4,607 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported by the Department of Health today.
As of this morning there were 579 people in Ireland hospitalised with COVID, of whom 115 are being treated in ICUs.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan said high incidence rates of the disease are continuing to have a serious impact on the health service, driven by the “highly transmissible” delta variant.
“We know that the news of the Omicron variant is causing some concern. However, we also know how to break the chains of transmission of COVID-19.”
Public health measures that have been advised throughout the pandemic have been successful against previous variants of the virus, he added.
“They can successfully suppress transmission of the Delta variant and we are optimistic that they will work against the Omicron variant.”
“Be mindful of your contacts in the days after socialising, and especially consider anyone you meet who may be immunocompromised or vulnerable to COVID-19.”
The COVID-19 data hub provides information on the key indicators of the disease in the community, including the status of the vaccine campaign.
In the past week a total of 219,511 tests have been done for the virus, with 14.3 percent positive.
Up to Sunday there have been 779,596 doses of booster vaccine administered in Ireland, including just under 80,000 people with an underlying condition.
