The number of patients in hospital with Covid has surpassed 1,000 - for the first time in almost two months.
There are currently 1,042 people, up from 957 yesterday.
🆕1,042 Covid patients in hospital this morning - the first it's been above 1,000 in nearly two months pic.twitter.com/cpfhLsuZcg
— Eoghan Murphy (@eoghanymurphy) March 14, 2022
50 percent of those cases are described as "incidental", meaning people happened to have tested positive while in hospital for another reason.
The number of patients of in ICU with Covid this morning was 41.
Senator Jerry Buttimer has described the figures as "concerning".
He's calling for the facemask mandate to be reviewed, ahead of St Patrick's Day.
The Fine Gael Senator says people would be more likely to wear masks if the message of personal responsibility was stronger from Government.
While he notes it is an "unpopular opinion", Senator Buttimer says more should be done to protect the vulnerable.
