Irish health officials have this afternoon confirmed 9,006 new cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours.
As of 8:00 am this morning, 521 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised for severe side effects of the virus - of which 92 are in ICU.
This marks an increase in hospital admissions by 60 while one more person has been admitted to the ICU.
The Omicron variant is spreading rapidly through the community and HSE boss, Paul Reid, confirmed earlier this morning that positivity rates are reaching 50%.
PCR tests are hard to come by at the moment, but Reid has said they are working on increasing capacity as the virus is "running rife in our communities".
Speaking to RTE’s Morning Ireland, Reid said: "If you think that you have Covid, it's most likely that you have it."
Meanwhile, the HSE today opened Covid vaccine registration for children aged 5 - 11 years who are at risk.
Parents can register their child for the jab if they have a health condition that puts them at risk or if they live with someone who is at higher risk.
All other children will be invited to register during January 2022.
Dr Lucy Jessop, Director of Public Health, National Immunisation Office said: “We’re inviting parents of children in this priority group to register their child for their free COVID-19 vaccine.
“The vaccine is being offered to children who are most at risk from COVID-19, so that they or their vulnerable household contacts can be protected first. Parents of all other children ages 5-11 years will be invited to register in January.”
For those who are wary of giving the dose to their children, Jessop says: “Clinical trials showed that this vaccine was highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in children. All vaccines are tested before they are approved for use in Ireland by the European Medicines Agency.
“We know from listening to parents that they have questions and concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine – particularly parents whose child is not at higher risk.
“I would encourage parents to take time to read more about the vaccines. Parents should get their information from a trusted source, such as hse.ie or a medical professional when making the decision to vaccinate their child.”
