There have been 16,428 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Ireland today - another new daily record.
22 further COVID-related deaths have also been reported over the past week.
Testing positive has continued to rise sharply over the last week, now standing at an average of 34.9% - with the figure just below 50% on some recent days.
As of this morning, there were 568 patients with COVID-19 being treated in Irish hospitals - up 47 compared to yesterday.
The number of patients in intensive care stands at 93 - up one compared to yesterday, and down eight on last week.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan says the latest data is a "cause of concern".
He said: "In recent days, we have seen a rise in new admissions to hospital of COVID-19 patients, at levels not seen since January 2021. On two consecutive days this week, over 100 patients with COVID-19 were either admitted to hospital or received a 'detected' test result while in hospital.
“Today, we are also reporting our highest ever number of confirmed cases in Ireland.
"The Omicron variant is accelerating rapidly in the community and given the very high levels of transmission of this new variant nationwide, every individual should consider themselves potentially infectious, and strictly adhere to the public health measures by washing hands regularly, keeping a safe distance from others, avoiding crowded places and reducing social contacts as much as possible."
He said the country is in a different position than last year, noting that a booster vaccine dose will provide "good protection" from infection.
