Ireland is in the midst of an Omicron wave with cases yet to peak as infection rates surge.
Schools are reopening across the country on Thursday despite concerns that as many as 8,000 teachers could be absent due to Covid in the weeks ahead.
It comes as new travel rules came into effect at midnight which removed the pre-testing requirement for arrivals into the country.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said on Wednesday that he expects Covid-19 cases to continue to increase as Ireland faces a number of “challenging” weeks.
Mr Martin also revealed updated information given to him by the HSE was that “the bulk” of ICU cases are people ill with the Delta variant.
Latest figures show that there are 928 people in hospital being treated for Covid of which 94 are in ICU.
Dr Tony Holohan said the rising number of hospitalisations was "concerning" ahead of a crunch NPHET meeting on Thursday.
The Chief Medical Officer and other top public health officials will discuss the ongoing situation with the virus as well as whether further Covid rules are needed.
Dr Holohan may advise the Government to tighten Covid measures but a senior source has said the Cabinet has no plans to bring in more restrictions this week.
The CMO said ahead of the talks: “It is concerning to see the rising number of people with Covid-19 in hospital.
"This means that our collective efforts to follow the public health advice remain very important. I know that many have sacrificed valuable time with friends and family to protect themselves and the wider community.
"These continued efforts are helping to slow the spread of this virus and will protect many from infection in the next few weeks."
He added that the Covid-19 vaccine booster "will protect the majority of people from severe disease".
"The booster programme is now open to everyone aged 16 and over," Dr Holohan said.
"If you are not yet fully vaccinated or are yet to receive a booster dose, please take this opportunity to protect yourself as soon as possible.
“The best way for all of us to stay safe and to continue to protect our loved ones over the coming weeks is to isolate immediately if symptomatic, to keep your social contacts as low as possible, to avoid high risk activities and poorly ventilated environments and to continue to follow all of the public health measures that we know can stop the spread of Covid-19.”
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