SOME 9,365 new Covid-19 cases have been announced in Ireland.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been notified of 3,780 PCR-confirmed cases and 5,585 positive antigen test results.
As of 8am today, 646 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of whom 72 are in ICU.
Three children were in intensive care units over the weekend being treated for Covid-19.
It comes as there is growing concern regarding high levels of infected younger children with the virus.
The HSE are urging people to bring their 5 to 11 year olds for the vaccine, as the Health Protection Surveillance Centre revealed 65,400 people were recorded with the virus in January.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the Omicron variant is “very unlikely” to be the last variant of concern.
And the NPHET chair warned that while Ireland’s outlook is “positive”, this is “still a pandemic”.
Most read in The Irish Sun
He told the Oireachtas Committee on Health: “The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 can be expected to continue. Omicron is very unlikely to be the last variant of concern we will have to face. And the global public health risk remains very high.
“Therefore, we must remain vigilant and ensure that our response is agile and flexible with an ability to respond rapidly and appropriately to any emerging threat that might arise.
“He warned that a “high level of infection” is expected to continue into the future and that health officials had noticed a “slight increase” in transmission levels among 19 to 24-year-olds.
He also told public reps the HSE and government will consider how the vaccination infrastructure and testing and tracing system will be maintained.