14% of Covid cases due to Omicron as CMO expects number to 'rise rapidly' in coming days
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The three Government leaders are due to meet members of Nphet this evening to discuss the threat posed by the Omicron variant.
The meeting comes as 3,887 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed this evening.
The Chief Medical Officer said that results today suggest that approximately 14% of cases in Ireland are due to the Omicron variant.
Dr Tony Holohan said that in line with the experience of many other countries, Ireland can expect this proportion to rise rapidly over the coming days.
He said the public must use the tried and tested preventative measures to protect themselves and their loved ones while waiting for the booster vaccination programme to take effect.
"This means that as we move closer to Christmas, we must try to reduce the number of people we meet, avoid crowds and work from home unless it is essential to attend in person," Dr Holohan said on social media.
"I encourage anyone eligible for a booster vaccination to take that opportunity. Boosters are proven to be effective in restoring protection against all variants of Covid-19."
As of 8am this morning, there are 493 Covid patients in hospital, down 25 on yesterday. Of those Covid patients, 109 are in intensive care, up one in 24 hours.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly this morning briefed his Cabinet colleagues on an expected surge in new Covid cases in the coming days and weeks as omicron spreads.
It is understood that Mr Donnelly gave a "sobering" analysis of the situation to Cabinet after he received a high-level briefing from public health officials.
However, further restrictions were not discussed at the weekly meeting of ministers.
It is now expected that the Taoiseach will meet chief medical officer Tony Holohan and other members of Nphet this evening before travelling to Brussels for an EU Council meeting.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan will also attend.
It is understood that the leaders will be eager to ensure that the way in which details from the last Nphet meeting were made public does not happen again when they gather later this week.
Meanwhile, redeployed staff, pop-up vaccination centres and changing walk-in schedules are all part of a Government plan to get 250,000 booster vaccines administered a week.
Cabinet was earlier updated on the plan to drastically increase capacity in the booster system ahead of Christmas and as more people become eligible to receive their jabs.
The interval time for boosters was last night cut to three months and an announcement opening the programme up to those over 40 is expected this week.
The vaccine system in the summer had peaked at around 350,000 per week and government sources say the aim is to get close to that again, but there is a recognition that many staff who were seconded to administer jabs the first time around have returned to their normal roles. Other staff have not been rehired as they are no longer available.
Speaking outside Government buildings on his way into Cabinet this morning, Mr Donnelly said scheduling issues around boosters would be examined as some times in the week were busier than others.
"We're looking at how we can get as many people boosted as possible. In the meantime, it is absolutely essential that people get their boosters," he said.
Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath, meanwhile, said that there is no discussion of new restrictions before Christmas.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) will meet on Thursday, with some in government fearful that medics will suggest tightening socialisation rules in the week before Christmas.
However, Mr McGrath said that is not on the table at today's meeting. He added that should NPHET make suggestions, they will be considered.
"It's not a scenario we are giving any consideration to at this point in time," he said.
"We have always said that when Nphet makes its recommendations, we are duty-bound to consider those carefully. But at this point in time we have no additional recommendations."
Mr McGrath acknowledged that it had been "a really difficult time for so many businesses across many sectors of the Irish economy."
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the public had adjusted their behaviour in recent weeks, and that this had had a "stabilising" impact on hospital and case numbers.
"We need everybody on board now, all hands on deck in relation to the booster campaign because Omicron is of serious concern and we do know that the booster can give great protection."
Also speaking in advance of the Cabinet meeting, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the public had adjusted their behaviour in recent weeks, and that this had had a "stabilising" impact on hospital and case numbers.
"I think people deserve credit for that so I think generally people are adjusting behaviour and that's important."
Echoing Mr Donnelly's remarks, the Taoiseach said his priority was to work out "the most effective ways that we can expand it and get more people jabbed as quickly as we possibly can."
"We need everybody on board now, all hands on deck in relation to the booster campaign because Omicron is of serious concern and we do know that the booster can give great protection."
"I think there's ongoing engagement now that we can get as many GPs to continue and stay involved and get more involved and likewise to get more pharmacies involved in terms of administering the vaccine over the coming days and the coming weeks - I think that is critical."
The Taoiseach also revealed the EU is poised to give approval to Pfizer and Moderna within days to develop a vaccine specifically for the Omicron variant, underlining the seriousness with which the EU views the threat.
Mr Martin said the data coming from the UK is worrying. The virus rate is doubling every two to three days. Omicron now accounts for about 40% of the cases in London.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who warned of a tidal wave of infection as he launched an ambitious Covid booster shot programme on Sunday, announced the first recorded death of a person in the UK with the Omicron variant yesterday.
Mr Martin said there is no doubt that dealing with the Omicron wave will be challenging here too.
“The potential volume and scale of Omicron worries me, in terms of the sheer numbers,” he said.
“It won’t be as easy to avoid getting it, especially from what we’re hearing from the UK, in particular.”
He said the government’s focus this week will be on ramping up the booster campaign here and that while there have been reports of long queues and of hundreds of people being turned away from some vaccination centres, in general, the campaign has worked well.
A record 2,460 people got booster jabs at the Cork City Hall vaccination centre between 8.30am and 4.30pm on Sunday.
Mr Martin praised GPs for doing a lot of the heavy-lifting in terms of vaccinating older age cohorts earlier in the year but he said more is required now with the threat of Omicron looming.
“The issue that has yet to be determined is the severity of the actual variant in terms of making people very sick, requiring hospitalisation and intensive care. There is a lot of worry and a lot of concern about it.”
He also insisted that the government will be following the advice of NIAC around administering the first jabs to immunocompromised children, with most children aged between five and 11 not expected to get their jabs until early in the new year, with the time between vaccines and booster jabs for adults also being kept under constant review.