Professor Luke O'Neill has said that a new Covid-19 vaccine being developed by Moderna to target the Omicron variant could be "strong enough to last for a year".
Covid-19 cases in Irish hospitals have rose rapidly over the past two weeks, with 508 people currently in hospital with the virus, 28 of whom are receiving intensive care.
Moderna announced last week its trial results for a new booster vaccine, with the vaccine noted to demonstrate "superior antibody response against Omicron."