The Department of Health has been notified of 17,656 confirmed cases of Covid-19 this evening.
As of 8am today, 928 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised and there are 94 in ICU.
There has been a total of 5,952 deaths related to Covid-19 notified in Ireland. This includes 40 deaths newly notified in the past week (since last Wednesday).
There has been a further 360 people admitted to hospital with the virus since last week.
Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, said: “It is concerning to see the rising number of people with Covid-19 in hospital.
"This means that our collective efforts to follow the public health advice remains very important.
"I know that many have sacrificed valuable time with friends and family to protect themselves and the wider community. These continued efforts are helping to slow the spread of this virus and will protect many from infection in the next few weeks."
The CMO urged people to get the booster vaccines if they can and said it is now open to anyone aged 16 or over.
He added “The best way for all of us to stay safe and to continue to protect our loved ones over the coming weeks is to isolate immediately if symptomatic."
He said people should keep their social contacts as low as possible and to avoid high risk activities or poorly ventilated environments.
The figures come as new data shows that the bulk of Ireland’s sickest Covid-19 patients have the Delta variant and not the highly contagious Omicron strain, hospital data shows.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said that while the vast majority of daily cases are of the Omicron variant, most ICU patients have the Delta variant.
Ireland is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Speaking at Government Buildings on Wednesday following a Cabinet meeting, Mr Martin said: “There is a broader range of pressures on hospitals this year, not just Covid, as there is far more activity out there.
“It still seems that the bulk of the ICU cases are Delta cases, complex, severe illness in many cases and that is the feedback from the HSE.
“The hospitals are under pressure, staff absences are contributing."
