A new, highly transmissible coronavirus variant is likely to become the dominant strain in Ireland, according to Professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin Kingston Mills.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Prof Mills described XBB.1.5 - or 'Kraken' - as "highly transmissible" and "quite different from Omicron".
Kraken is a variant of interest rather than concern, but Prof Mills still urged people who have not yet been vaccinated to do so.
The variant is spreading rapidly in the United States, where it is becoming dominant, Prof Mills said.
"It's already in Ireland and the rest of Europe at low level here right now, but it will increase it's likely to become the dominant variant here as well.
"The big issue around it is that it's quite different to Omicron.
"So people who've got infected with the original Omicron are less likely to be protected through immunity generated.
"The vaccines are still working against it, especially the bivalent variations that are now available. So it is advisable for people to go ahead and get vaccinated if they haven't got their booster already."
Fewer than five cases of the 'Kraken' Covid strain have so far been detected in Ireland.
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Latest figures show there were 573 people in hospital with Covid-19, with 35 of those in intensive care units.
Last week, the Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory said that due to December and Christmas behaviour, he expects to see a further increase in Covid cases in the next week or two.
Cillian de Gascun said that viruses will continue to evolve, but when it comes to the spread of the virus or variants of the virus, it is human behaviour that drives everything.
Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation putst the number of patients on trolleys, or on wards today, waiting for admission to a bed at 528.
The HSE is opening walk-in flu vaccination clinics this week for children aged 2-17 in community vaccination centres across the country.
It said this was in response to rising numbers of both flu cases in children, as well as the significant number of children who have been hospitalised with flu this winter.
