Ireland is set to head into 2022 in a very similar fashion to how we entered 2021, fighting a huge Covid surge and restricted in what can and can't be done.
Omicron has hit the world at a time when the end of the pandemic looked in sight, however, it now appears to be no closer to ending than one year ago.
But vaccines are continuing to offer added protection and there is some hope that Omicron will fizzle out and allow a lot more "normal" 2022.
Here's what we know so far about how the next year will look, and a lot of signs are positive.
Restrictions in early 2022
Ireland will begin the New Year with much stricter rules than had been anticipated just a few weeks ago.
Gatherings are limited, hospitality closes at 8pm and getting into the country will require a negative test, regardless of your vaccine status.
But there is some optimism that the restrictions won't last too far into the year, but that's not to say there won't be more before we get out of January.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the Government can’t take the risk of “letting Omicron rip and hope for the best.”
And said Ireland has a "very good chance" of managing the Omicron variant if the level of socialisation reduces by 20-30%.
He said there are no plans to bring in more Covid-19 restrictions this side of Christmas but everything will be “under constant review throughout the month.”
He said: “In terms of any further advice, they will obviously come from NPHET.
“But I would see something similar to what occurred last week – we would have engagement, talking through issues before we have formal meetings, and those engagements would be between the key principals.
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“And then I expect many twists and turns, so this one has moved very, very fast, not just here but across the world, so it makes sense that we keep it under review.
“On the other hand people do need some degree of settled horizon, and that’s why we were anxious to make it clear that given we made decisions only last Friday, that we give them time to work out and observe their impact.
“So there are no plans for meetings this week, or for any change to the situation this week.
“We said from the outset these would be in place until the end of January, but they would be kept on constant review.”
Omicron hope from South Africa
There is increased optimism coming from South Africa that the new variant is not as harmful as some of its predecessors, however it is too early to say with any certainty.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, the senior doctor who first identified the variant, said that the line of treatment for Omicron patients is "quite easy".
She said: "We start immediately after the diagnosis with low dosage cortisone and something like ibuprofen to help with the muscle pain and headaches and that's it. That's what we give.
"There's nothing else. There's no oxygen, not even antibiotics required.
"Most of the cases reported so far manifest symptoms like body aches, headache, tiredness."
"They may or may not have a cough; it is mostly dry cough with a sore and scratchy throat. According to a recent study, it affects the upper respiratory tract and doesn't affect the lower airways like the delta variant."
A restriction free summer?
Speaking last week, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said he can’t “promise that next summer will be better or next Christmas will be better, but I can promise that we will do everything that we can to make sure it is.”
He added: “I think that when this pandemic started, we all hoped that it wouldn't go on for so long and a few of us, certainly I didn't think that it would go on for so long, but it has now gone on for two years, it could go on for several years, it is going to be a long war, and that’s why it does require us to consider how we are going to fight that long war.
“You might fight that differently than you would the short one, and it does mean things like the vaccine programme and the pillars the Taoiseach spoke about, it means the therapeutics that will be available in the spring, it means masks.
“It means paying more attention to things like ventilation, which we have been in recent months. It will mean scaling up our testing capacity, both lateral flow tests and PCR tests. It will mean continuing to increase our ICU and hospital capacity, and we’ve been doing that.
“It will mean trying to get our models a bit better as well and all of those things.”
The Tánaiste said that Ireland has been attempting to open the country slowly due to a fear of going backwards, which may be something that needs to change as the pandemic continues.
He hinted that restrictions may be introduced faster in future and then lifted once cases decrease again.
He said: “I think one thing as well that might mean is accepting that we may have to go backwards on occasion, and one thing that we’ve very much done in two years is tried to open up very slowly for fear of having to go backwards.”
Summer holidays change
The European Commission is set to bring in a validity period for Covid certificated in February.
The Commission said it had adopted a “binding acceptance period of nine months (270 days) of vaccination certificates for the purpose of intra-EU travel”.
The new measures will have to be approved by EU member states in order to take effect on February 1.
A number of EU countries have also announced measures that mean those who have not yet received the booster jab are no longer considered “fully vaccinated”.
France has said adults who received their second dose more than seven months ago would no longer be eligible for a Covid cert from January 15 unless they could show proof of a third vaccination.
Portugal, Cyprus, Latvia, Italy, Greece and Austria have also said all travellers, whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated, must take Covid tests before arrival into the country as they attempt to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.
The new plans could see people needing a third dose of the vaccine in order to enter indoor settings such as pubs, restaurants and cafes.
