The number of daily COVID cases is at the third highest level since the pandemic began, the Department of Health has confirmed. 

7,333 people were diagnosed with the virus and 410 hospital patients have tested positive for it - of whom 107 are being treated in ICU. 

The five day moving average is 4,645 - up significantly from 4,116 yesterday. 

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn tweeted that: 

“The growth of the Omicron variant represents a significant threat to people’s ability to safely enjoy the Christmas and New Year period. 

“Over the coming days please think about each of your social contacts and consider whether now is the time to be meeting with them.”

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar warned that the world could be living with COVID for years to come: 

“I think that when this pandemic started, we all hoped that it wouldn't go on for so long and… certainly I didn't think that it would go on for so long,” the Tánaiste said. 

“But it has now gone on for two years, it could go on for several years. 

“It is going to be a long war, and that’s why it does require us to consider how we are going to fight that long war.” 

Schools

However, Liam Fanning, Deputy Head of Medicine and Professor of Immunovirology at UCC, said that the Government needed to focus on the short-term with great urgency in the face of the new variant: 

“I think it would have been a very good idea to close the schools yesterday,” Professor Fanning told The Anton Savage Show. 

“It takes about 10 days to two weeks to interrupt the cycle, maybe a little bit more. 

“And if they went back on the 10th in January, if they went back then we would have had a three week break.”

Main image: A testing facility in Dublin. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie