Dr Tony Holohan asked the public to continue their great work in suppressing coronavirus in Ireland as he stepped away last night.
The Chief Medical Officer is stepping down from his position to care for his wife who is receiving palliative care after being diagnosed with cancer in 2012.
In an official statement on Thursday night the man who has become a household name in recent months asked the public to keep the good work going.
Dr Holohan said: "As a husband and father, and as a public health doctor, I'm conscious that we all have been through tough times together over the last number of months and many familues across the country have been affected by the course of Covid-19, suffering pain and the loss of loved ones.
"I hope that we can remain working together to continue to stay vigilant, keep our social distance, and take personal responsibility for our own health, in the first instance, as well as looking after our family members and friends and those we care about most."
The Dubliner spoke about his family and why he needed to take this time away from the job.
He added: "My wife, Emer, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, in 2012.
"She has had a number of difficult years with her disease and was admitted for palliative care last Saturday.
"I now want to give my energy, attention and all of my time to Emer and to our two teenage children Clodagh and Ronan."
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said on behalf of the country: "I would like to thank Dr. Holohan on behalf of myself and the people of Ireland for helping to guide this country through the COVID-19 emergency.
"His work, experience and briefings helped people to understand the gravity of the situation facing us, while his calmness reassured us that if we followed the guidelines and advice we would overcome these great challenges together.
"Every home in Ireland has come to know Dr. Tony Holohan. His leadership during the pandemic has given us all confidence that the decisions being made are based on solid public health advice. As a country we owe him and his family a great debt of gratitude."
