The Department of Health has reported a further 2,855 new cases of Covid-19. The number of patients being treated in hospital was 515 as of 8am on Monday, it said, with 91 in ICU.
The latest figures came as Taoiseach Micheál Martin discussed Covid-19 with the Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett during the Cop26 conference in Glasgow on Monday.
Mr Bennett told the Taoiseach that Israel had seen a remarkable improvement from the booster dose of the vaccine, far greater than the second dose, officials said.
The meeting in Glasgow comes as the National Immunisation Advisory Council (Niac), which advises the Government on immunisation issues, meets in Dublin to discuss a possible booster vaccine campaign for healthcare workers.
There is considerable impatience in Government that Niac has not already recommended a booster dose for healthcare workers.
It comes as the number of Covid patients in intensive care has fallen slightly over the last week but continues to hover around the 100 mark, data from the HSE shows.
As calls increase for booster vaccines for healthcare workers, latest data published on Monday shows 93 people were in ICU on Sunday evening, a steady but slow decline from the 101 recorded last Wednesday. The average over the last 10 day period was 95.6.
The number of patients on ventilators continues to remain stable, however – 52 on Sunday, against a 10 day average of 51.5 according to the data which tracks how the disease is presenting in hospitals.
On Sunday, there were 194 general hospital beds available (excluding critical care) with just over 500 people admitted with the virus.
Hospital staff
The latest daily statistics are framed by increasing concerns around hospitals and their staff as the disease progresses in the wrong direction.
Some 3,500 healthcare workers are now out sick, according to the HSE.
"What we are waiting on is the decision by Niac," Phil Ni Sheaghdha, general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said of the vaccine boosters.
"There have been a large number of outbreaks in hospitals. We have wards closed now, for example, because they are being repurposed as Covid wards again, very similar to what happened in the first and second waves," she told RTÉ, adding that the numbers becoming infected in healthcare services is beginning to increase, now standing at about 400 per week.
“We need to ensure that the vaccine booster is provided so that we have the maximum protection.”
With new cases approaching 2,000 on Sunday, the State has begun administering booster shots to older people, while the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is expected to decide on whether or not to vaccinate children.
Immunology expert professor Paul Moynagh expressed surprise that Niac had not yet given approval for the booster campaign for healthcare workers, some of whom received their first vaccine 10 months ago.
He noted that many workers had received the AstraZeneca vaccine for their first and second doses, and that if Pfizer was administered as a booster dose it would give them a high level of immune response.
Meanwhile, the HSE has said its vaccination centres will be closed on Monday to allow for essential updates to its Covid-19 Vaccination Information System (COVAX).
The system update will provide increased capability to support the vaccination booster programme, it said.
However, in a tweet on Monday, HSE chief executive Paul Reid emphasised that a “steady number” of people continued to arrive for vaccinations.
“Over the past six days almost 15,000 people have come to a Vaccination Centre via an appointment or walk in. Almost 7,000 via walk in. Avg 1,800 registering per day. It’s never too late,” he said.
