The Taoiseach says the Delta variant of Covid-19 is an ongoing concern and will be a 'slow-burner'.
He told his parliamentary party last night testing and tracing will be increased to try to address the highly transmissible strain.
The highest number of Covid cases in 76 days was reported yesterday, with 581 new infections.
Professor Emer Shelley, from the Royal College of Physicians, says we're at the start of the fourth wave.
"The rising number of cases is of course a concern, particularly when we know that more and more of these cases are of the Delta variant, which will in turn lead to more cases, so we are on the cusp of a further wave.
"What's of concerns is that people who are unvaccinated are most likely to be affected."
