Paul Reid has said testing capacity will be increased as one in two people are now returning positive results for Covid-19 in Ireland.
The Chief Executive of the Health Service Executive said at this point the virus is "running rife in our communities".
There are reportedly "unparalleled” numbers of people “coming forward for testing” and the HSE has said it is now seeing a positivity rate of up to 50% as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly.
Speaking to RTE’s Morning Ireland, Reid said: "If you think that you have Covid, it's most likely that you have it."
The common - and milder - symptoms associated with the latest strain of the virus are:
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Fatigue (mild or severe)
- Scratchy or sore throat
- Sneezing
Testing capacity will be increased over the coming days and weeks as the HSE boss said 250,000 PCR tests were carried out over the past seven days.
He said they are aware of the delays and asked the public to be patient and "stick with us."
In a grim update on the current trajectory of the virus, Reid said we’re still in the early phases of this "rising curve" - which was expected to happen - but that we're nowhere near the peak of this wave yet.
Reid explained; "It would seem that there's a peak at some stage, but we certainly aren't at that by any stretch just yet."
The public continues to be called on for booster shots as the rollout keeps up the pace, and Mr. Reid has once again asked those who are unvaccinated to put themselves forward for the initial doses.
Hospital consultants are reporting greater levels of sickness in those who are not vaccinated and have reminded people they can come forward for their first dose at any point now.
As for who is currently eligible for the booster doses, you can get yours now if you are:
- aged 40 and older
- pregnant
- living in a nursing home or a long-term healthcare facility
- a healthcare worker
- aged 16 to 39 and have an underlying condition
From Wednesday 29 December, booster doses will be offered to people aged:
- 30 to 39
- 16 to 29 who got the Janssen single-dose vaccine during their first round of Covid-19 vaccination
