The Chief Medical Officer has issued a warning to the public after a rise in the number of Covid-19 outbreaks in Ireland.
Dr Tony Holohan was speaking after 1,015 new cases were notified in Ireland in the last 24 hours.
There are now over 170 people in hospital with the deadly virus.
In a statement, Dr Holohan said: “Public health doctors around the country are reporting that outbreaks are being notified to them that originated in symptomatic people attending workplaces, or eating out, or visiting friends.
"Please remember that you should stay at home if you have symptoms even if you are vaccinated, because you could still transmit COVID-19.
"Together as a country, we need to keep on top of all the positive behaviours that limit the spread of disease, and integral to this is staying at home if you have any cold or flu symptoms.
"Don’t drop your guard, because heading into work or meeting a friend while experiencing fever, cough, cold/flu symptoms, or loss of sense of smell/taste – that could be the beginning link that sets off a chain of transmission that leads to an outbreak in your community."
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has announced the Government has completed a deal to secure an extra 700,000 Covid-19 vaccines from Romania.
Mr Martin had revealed some weeks ago that the Government had spoken to the Romanian president about purchasing surplus vaccines.
Mr Martin has announced the news on Twitter and said it is a “welcome boost” to the vaccine rollout.
He tweeted: “We’ve completed a deal to secure an additional 700,000 #CovidVaccines from Romania/EU.
“Fantastic news and a welcome boost to our rollout, which continues to experience huge support and uptake from the Irish public.”
