NPHET has warned there's been little evidence of any improvement in the trajectory of coronavirus in Ireland over the past week.
Professor Philip Nolan said the concern now is that the situation has accelerated further.
The chairman of NPHET's modelling group said there were previously some signs of 'stabilisation' in Dublin - but large numbers are now being reported along with the rest of the country.
Record numbers of new cases have been reported this week, including 1,205 new cases today alone - the highest daily number yet.
Pictured is information on a screen, at the delivery of this evening’s COVID-19 update in the Department of Health. Photograph: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ieModelling has suggested that if newly-introduced restrictions have no effect, daily cases will be between 1,800 and 2,200 cases by Halloween - with 400 people in hospital.
Speaking this evening, Professor Nolan said: "Last week, one might have been optimistic that we were looking at some stabilisation in Dublin.
"Unfortunately, over the last four to five days we've seen high case counts in Dublin just as we have in the rest of the country.
"The epidemic is not growing as fast in Dublin as it is in the rest of the country... but it is growing."
15/10/2020. Pictured is information on a screen, at the delivery of this evening’s COVID-19 update in the Department of Health. Photograph: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ieOutside of Dublin, Professor Nolan said the situation in every other county is 'unequivocal'.
He said: "The five-day moving average is growing very quickly.
"[It] has doubled in seven days, which would give us grave concern about the doubling time of cases.
"It's clearly too early for the recently introduce measures to have any effect in those counties."
