The Government says it could reintroduce Covid restrictions in Ireland if cases were to surge this winter.
The number of people in hospital with Covid has "been edging" up in recent weeks, according to the HSE's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry, however he added there is no sign yet of a surge.
More than 1.6 million positive Covid cases have been confirmed in Ireland to date. There are currently 442 patients in hospital with Covid, of which 16 are in ICU.