Covid figure projections for Ireland make for promising reading as we could see a massive drop in cases in just one month.
On the current path, NPHET says hospital numbers could plummet from 813 to 250 by mid-March with daily cases predicted to drop to 200 by March 1.
But this decrease should not be a sign for a mass reopening warns one medical expert.
Professor of Medicine at UCD, Dr. Jack Lambert has warned that reopening society will have an impact on these numbers once again.
He said: "We need to make sure that we have all of our ducks in a row in the community in each of the settings that we're opening up.
"Because otherwise I think the virus will continue to transmit and we'll end up back in lockdown."
Former HSE chief Tony O'Brien has also admitted that if the Johnson and Johnson vaccine gets the go-ahead, it will be an "absolute game-changer".
The jab - which is a single-dose vaccine that doesn't have to be stored at extra-low temperatures like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines - is currently being considered by the European Medicines Agency
The former HSE head said: "The speed at which it can be deployed and the pace at which we'll get vaccinated if this is approved will double."
On Tuesday, there was 744 new cases and 33 deaths reported with Dublin holding the third-highest county incident rate.
Speaking on Prime Time, Leo Varadkar insisted Ireland can quickly "bounce back" from the worst economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But he also dealt another hammer blow to those hoping for an optimistic update on Ireland's reopening warning that the Government will be "cautious" about lifting lockdown.
He compared the pandemic-inspired economic downturn to the financial crash a decade ago but said the resumption of non-essential business will have to be delayed if Ireland is to get its schools open – and keep them open.
