The INMO is appealing to people to do everything possible to protect themselves from the virus regardless of what restrictions are in place.

It comes as health officials announced a record 6,110 new cases – with the 14-day rate of the virus now standing at 582.8 cases per 100,000 people.

Meanwhile the number of COVID-19 patients in Irish hospitals has now risen to 776 with 70 people in intensive care.

On The Hard Shoulder this evening, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said around 4,000 healthcare workers are currently out sick with COVID-19

She said new infections are running at about 50 a week which puts “enormous pressure on rosters and on the ability to keep beds open.”

“We know from following the stats over the past week and a half that we haven’t hit the highest numbers yet and we know the 14-day period is relevant,” she said. “So, we know that next week is going to be worse.”

“I think the important point we have to make on behalf of healthcare workers is, we would appeal to the public to take extra caution – don’t wait for Government announcements.

“There is huge pressure on hospitals right now. The public always support frontline healthcare workers and have done so since the beginning. Now is the time to really show that by taking every precaution possible so you don’t get infected, you are not a close contact and our hospitals can actually cope.”

She warned that healthcare staff are currently trying to “provide COVID care, non-COVID care and at the same time, administer the vaccines.”

“Right now, that is a lot of pressure and our hospital occupancy level has been very, very high since March,” she said.

“These are Very difficult circumstances for all of the healthcare workers and they are tired.”

Meanwhile, Dr Conor Deasy, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Cork University Hospital, said the situation facing the hospital is the “most serious it has been since the start of the pandemic.”

“This is a real step up and this is a real call out to the community to really take this seriously, stay at home and limit your contacts,” he said.

“There are COVID presentations at the emergency Department but there are also non-COVID presentations.

“There is never a good time to crash your car or break your hip or fall down the stair but now is a particularly bad time so what we are saying is, limit your risk. Stay at home and separate yourself a far as you can from others to reduce the chances of picking this up.”

He said increasingly people are coming in to hospital for other ailments only to find out they also have COVID.

“People might come in for something like a broken hip or ankle and when we screen them because they are being admitted, they turn out to have COVID,” he said.

“This has been happening an awful lot over the last number of days since Christmas.”

You can listen back here: