The chief medical officer is urging people to only meet those they intend spending Christmas Day with this week.
Dr Tony Holohan says the highly transmissible Omicron variant now accounts for two thirds of new Covid cases.
***
One in every six young adults still aren't fully vaccinated.
NPHET says they either haven't come forward for vaccination, or have received only one dose.
***
Nearly 4,800 children haven't been allocated a social worker - despite child protection and welfare concerns.
The figure has risen by 19 per cent in the space of a year, according to Tusla's latest figures.
***
Consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level since February.
The KBC Bank consumer sentiment index fell from 83.1 in November to 74.9 last month.
