The Department of Health has been notified of 9,324 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19, as well as 10,542 positive antigen tests logged through the HSE portal.
As of 8am, there were 1,466 Covid patients in hospital, up 41 on the same time yesterday morning. Of them, 55 patients were being treated in ICU, an increase of two from Thursday.
These figures come as a professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College, Dublin said the surge in Covid cases was inevitable as it is "difficult to stop transmission from a person who is not wearing a mask".
"That is the harsh reality of it," Kingston Mills told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
More than 23,000 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded yesterday as the Health Service Executive's Chief Operations Officer Anne O'Connor said the HSE is "really struggling" due to the latest surge.
Prof Mills said the easing of restrictions, including mask wearing, combined with a more transmissible variant BA2 has led to a huge increase in Covid infections.
"The fear factor has disappeared and people have this feeling because we were told it was over, that we could get back to normal," he said.
Prof Mills said the problem is people are still being infected, and while it is not an issue for healthy people, it can be for older people and those with health conditions.
He raised concern that some people who are still Covid positive but who no longer have symptoms might be tempted to return to their usual activities.
"If they still have the virus in their system, they can pass it on," he said.
Prof Mills does not think a re-introduction of public health measures will make much of a difference at this stage.
"Sitting two metres apart from a person with Covid is not going to make one whit of difference because this virus is so transmissible that if you cough or sneeze in a room where there are other people not wearing masks, you will get an infection."
He said it appears in most people this virus is upper respiratory, but he added that it is resulting in serious illness for some who end up in hospital and in ICU.
Ms O'Connor said about half of those in hospital at the moment have been admitted to hospital due to Covid.
HSE issues booster reminder
The Health Service Executive is urging everyone aged 12 years and older, who have not yet received their booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine to avail of it - if eligible to do so.
Without the booster dose, people "are at greater risk from severe illness" from the virus.
Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer with the HSE, noted: "We have seen society opening up in recent weeks and we are again encouraging everyone, eligible for a booster dose to avail of it as soon as they can.
"We also know there's a large number of people who had Covid-19 over Christmas and the New Year and they are now eligible for their booster dose.
"Getting a booster brings your protection from serious illness and hospitalisation back up to 90% after two weeks."
Govt has got 'balance right' - Donohoe
The Minister for Finance told RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne that the Government will be guided by public health advice in relation to Covid-19.
Paschal Donohoe said it will act on that advice in future in respect of isolation periods for those with a positive test result or the wearing of masks in indoor settings.
He said the Government has not yet received any indication that a change should be made to public health advice.
Mr Donohoe said he would not second guess what the country’s public health officials may recommend in the future
He said: "Due to our efforts, due to our vaccination programme, due to the public health decisions that we got right over the last two years, and I know we didn't get everything right, but we have managed to reduce the link between getting sick with Covid and automatically having to be spend a lot of time in hospital."
Mr Donohoe said it may well be the case that public health guidelines will be changed in the future to deal with some of the new risks or new developments of Covid-19.
He said that he does "believe at the moment that we have the balance right" between the implementation of public health guidelines and allowing an appropriate amount of personal responsibility in many other environments.
