There are now 1,285 people being treated in Irish hospitals nationwide with COVID-19, the CEO of the HSE said.
As of 8am this morning, there were 134 more people hospitalised with the virus than yesterday.
There are currently 107 people in intensive care with coronavirus.
The HSE's Paul Reid has warned that "for now", hospitalisations "will rise more".
He said on Twitter that "in time, the huge sacrifices everyone is making will work".
It comes as health officials reported a record 8,248 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, along with 20 additional deaths.
NPHET is predicting that next week will see a peak in COVID-19 hospital admissions.
It says 1,300 people will need hospital care in an optimistic scenario, following the post-Christmas surge in cases.
There's now 1,285 people being treated in hospital (+ 134 on yesterday) with #COVID19 & 107 in ICU. For now, it will rise more. Saving lives & protecting more people getting sick is our priority. But, in time, the huge sacrifices everyone is making will work. Thank you. @HSELive
— Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) January 9, 2021
Former president of the Irish College of General Practitioners, Dr Mary Favier, warned the number of GP referrals to hospital is of huge concern.
She told Newstalk Breakfast with Susan Keogh that GPs are under "very significant pressure" and are seeing the results of a "big surge" of positive cases from Christmas and patients getting ill.
"I had some very distressing conversations with patients over the last week, patients in their 40s, 50s, 60s, who are now becoming breathless, very tired, almost impossible to get out of bed, and patients being sent to hospital, it's very concerning," she said.
"The most important thing that GPs are trying to do at the moment is to keep people out of emergency departments to ease the strain but inevitably, many of these patients are being admitted.
"The numbers are continuing to rise and we just have to effectively stay at home."
Meanwhile, from today, visitors to Ireland from the UK and South Africa will have to show a negative coronavirus test.
It comes as three cases of the highly transmissible South African strain were confirmed here yesterday, all linked to people who had travelled from the country.
Dr Favier said the presence of new variants of the virus in Ireland is of "great concern" but added that it was important for people not to blame others for transmitting COVID-19.
"GPs see quite a lot of blame out in the community in terms of 'you brought COVID into the house it's your fault'," she said.
"It's of no value, looking back is of no value, it's what we do next that's important.
"In terms of testing for the variant...we did not have the South African variant until last week and that has come in through travel.
"It goes to this absolute importance that anyone who has come in from South Africa or the UK is tested and undertakes two weeks of self-isolation so we can stop this spreading."
