More than 6,000 new cases of Covid-19 are expected tonight.

Speaking on Today with Philip Boucher-Hayes on RTÉ Radio 1, Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid said that the number is expected to tip 7,000 per day as hospitals struggle to cope with a large influx of coronavirus patients.

Mr Reid said that Irish hospitals are currently dealing with 744 positive cases of Covid-19 on wards (another sharp rise on yesterday’s figure of 673) with 65 people receiving treatment for the disease in ICU.

“We have to stand back now, from any of the projections we made, and accept that this is now rampant.” Mr Reid said.

Hospitalisations are now increasing at a rate of 20% per day and the number of people requiring hospital treatment for coronavirus could reach “somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500” with up to 430 people in ICU in the coming weeks.

This morning, Mr Reid confirmed that non-urgent care will be eliminated wherever possible in Irish hospitals in order to create the capacity necessary for handling the third wave of the pandemic.

Staff are being redeployed from other services.

Main image: RTÉ Radio 1