The co-leader of the Social Democrats says it is hard to see anything in an easing of coronavirus restrictions to help bring numbers down.
Roisin Shortall was speaking after the Government confirmed Ireland is moving ahead with a further easing of restrictions from Friday October 22nd.
However several measures are to remain in place - with vaccine certificates, social distancing and mask wearing to be extended to next February.
Nightclubs will re-open at full capacity, but vaccine certificates will be needed to get in.
Pub and restaurant opening hours will return to normal hours, but they will remain at table service only with limits of 10 people per table and 15 when children are involved.
Deputy Shortall told Newstalk Breakfast several key elements were missing from the Government announcement.
"We're in a situation where there's now a new surge, the case figures yesterday were the highest since last January, and it's very hard to see anything in the announcement that the Government made yesterday that's actually going to change the direction of those figures.
"There's three things that are very much missing from what the Government announced.
"The first was that there's virtually no reference at all to the issue of ventilation - we've known for a long time that COVID is an airborne virus and why are we not tackling this issue?
"It's not being mentioned in any of the public health messaging; we're still talking about washing hands, wearing a mask and cleaning surfaces.
"The second one is in relation to the antigen testing... why is it that it's only now at this point that the Government is giving any consideration to that?"
Close contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19 will now be sent antigen tests.
But Ms Shortall questioned the time it would take to send an antigen test out to people in the post.
"Who's going to do that? How long it that going to take? Wouldn't it be much better if people could just pick up the phone and book a PCR test within 24 hours?
"There's going to be an incredible delay with that approach".
'COVID Cert enforcement'
And she says while she welcomes plans to extend the Digital COVID Certificate, enforcement is not there.
"The third area is the whole issue of enforcement of the COVID Certs.
"The Government's own data would show that about a third of the premises that were checked weren't bothering with COVID Certs.
"And that needs to be dealt with.
"At the moment there is a lack of clarity around what agency or who is actually responsible for enforcing that.
"There's a very small number of HSA inspectors - they've their own work to do, they don't work out of hours - so there needs to be a better enforcement mechanism".
She says high vaccine rates alone are not enough to tackle the virus.
"We have to deal with the situation where there is a very high level of vaccination, and that's fantastic, but what are the other elements that need to be put in place?
"And they haven't been put in place, unfortunately".
