A further 4,761 new cases of COVID have been reported to the HSE, the Department of Health has said. 

1,749 came from PCR tests, while the remaining 3,012 came from antigen tests. 

There are currently 1,004 patients in hospital with the virus - of whom 53 are being treated in ICU. 

The five day moving average now stands at 4,570. 

 David Rowlands getting tested at the National Ambulance Service who are facilitating the Covid-19 Test center outside the Ballyfermot Sports Complex this morning. Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Speaking on Monday, infectious diseases expert, Professor Sam McConkey, said he expected the number to “rapidly decline” over the next few weeks: 

“I’m cautiously optimistic that that will continue to drop quite dramatically based on something similar that’s happened in Denmark,” Professor McConkey told Newstalk. 

“Which is a similar size and vaccination status to us - they’re two or three weeks ahead of us and they had high levels and then it dropped off. 

“I’m expecting it to continue to rapidly decline over the next two to four weeks.”

Main image: Sick lady touching sore throat. Image: Hanna Kuprevich / Alamy Stock Photo