A further 17 deaths and 5,325 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic.
In the North, a further 1,378 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of new cases on the island of Ireland to 6,703.
Of the cases notified this evening, 63 per cent are under 45 years of age. 1,931 of the cases are located in Dublin, with 767 in Cork, 323 in Kildare, 322 in Limerick, 238 in Donegal and the remaining 1,744 cases spread across all other counties.
HSE chief Paul Reid warned on Tuesday that the Republic’s health service is “under real threat now” from the impact of soaring case numbers.
Hospitalisations are close to the peak of what was seen during the first wave of the pandemic in March and April, while the positivity rate from testing is reaching a new high of between 40 per cent and 55 per cent.
Mr Reid tweeted: “Our health service is under real threat now. We’re heading to the peak of hospitalisations as in the 1st Wave.
“Primary & GP services are under relentless strain. Swabbing centres have positivity rates from 40 to 55%. Please reduce transmission, stay home and #StaySafe.”
On Tuesday afternoon, there were 840 people in hospital with the virus, with 76 people in intensive care.
More than one hundred admissions have been seen in the last 24 hours.
On Monday, Mr Reid warned that on the country’s current trajectory, the number of people in hospital could hit 2,500 this month, with up to 430 people in intensive care units (ICU).
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has said that there will be a sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 deaths in January, with the increase lagging behind the surge in new cases and hospitalisations.
He warned that current transmission levels put “too many people in funeral homes”.
The Taoiseach has confirmed that the closure of schools, childcare and the construction sector are under Government discussion amid soaring rates of infection.
Micheál Martin confirmed that the Government’s proposal was to close schools until the end of the month, with a formal decision expected on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the first roll-out of a vaccine to protect against the virus has been delayed in nursing homes due to issues with consent forms.
Tadhg Daly, chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, said he was surprised the first doses of the vaccine were not given on Monday as planned and said there can be no further room for slippages or delays.
