Dr Tony Holohan has paid tributes to the efforts of doctors and GPs over recent months as the Covid-19 pandemic has devastated the country.
The country's leading public health expert said GP's efforts will be "vital" to the next phase – vaccination – in Ireland's battle with Covid-19.
On Twitter, the head of Ireland's National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) added: "I'm really grateful to GPs for their key role in protecting the nation's health.
"Patients know & value what they do everyday.
"They will be vital in the next phase as we offer vaccination – and with it, hope – to our collective response."
Dr Holohan's comments come after the first Covid-19 vaccines arrived on the island of Ireland earlier this week.
A Fermanagh-born grandmother became the world's first person to get the jab when she underwent the procedure in a hospital in the UK.
House later, a 28-year-old nurse from Co Down became the first person on the island of Ireland to receive the vaccine – something she hailed as a sign of progress in an appeal to the public.
Yesterday, Ireland reported 227 new cases of coronavirus, as well as five new deaths.
Announcing the figures, Dr Holohan said: "Today we have seen 8 new admissions to ICU, the most in a 24 hour period since the spring time.
"COVID-19 is still an extremely infectious disease which has the potential to lead to hospitalisation and even ICU admissions.
"Ireland has managed to suppress COVID-19 to the lowest incidence levels in the EU in recent weeks. We have managed to keep up our safe behaviours and worked to protect each other throughout the pandemic.
"If we do not continue to suppress the disease through the actions we have learned over recent months, we will very quickly see a surge in infections leading to an increase in hospitalisations, ICU admissions and, tragically, deaths
"We are actively planning to begin vaccinating people in early 2021. We cannot afford to drop our guard now."
