The HSE has urged those eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine or booster to come forward.
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital has more than doubled over the past two weeks, standing at 697 at 8am this morning. The HSE has said the rise in cases may be due to "emerging variants of Omicron".
Dr Colm Henry, HSE Chief Clinical Officer, said that many of the Covid-19 patients in hospital did not receive their initial vaccine or booster. He said: "While there was a reduction in the incidence of Covid-19 infection in recent months, we have seen a sharp increase in cases and hospitalisations in recent weeks.
