Covid crisis: Another record set for daily positive cases

The HSE has today been notified of 20,554 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, the highest daily number since the outbreak of the pandemic.

As of 8 a.m. today, 619 patients are hospitalised, of which 88 are in ICU.

The chief medical officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, urged people not to hold household gatherings on New Year's Eve and appealed to people to limit their social contacts.

He said: "In the last 24 hours, 148 people with Covid-19 were either admitted to hospital or received a 'detected' test result while in hospital.

"Hospitalisations at this level are not sustainable and are having a significant impact on our health service".

Dr. Holohan added that Omicron now "accounts for over 90% of PCR confirmed cases in Ireland."