606 patients in total are in hospitals with Covid today - a 33% increase on last week.
The HSE's considering re-introducing mandatory mask-wearing amid rising Covid cases.
However, a number of leading health experts feel it's not the best way of keeping the current surge at bay.
HSE CEO Paul Reid has said the return of mandatory mask wearing in certain settings would be 'actively considered'.
However, he told the Examiner keeping the virus at bay within hospitals and care settings would be their priority.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation are among the groups who are calling for mandatory masks on public trasport.
Some 606 patients in total are in hospitals with Covid today - a 33 percent increase on last week.
More than 300 people in hospital with Covid are there because of the virus, says the HSE.
Infectious Diseases Consultant Eoghan de Barra says less emphasis should be placed on face coverings, and more on the rollout of the booster:

Spain To Launch €60 Unlimited Travel Pass As Irish Campaigner Calls For Better Service Frequency
Fines And Jail Terms Proposed For Sellers As Crackdown On Disposable Vapes Begins
Lower Childcare Fees Promised - But Providers Say They Are Being Ignored
Man Accused Of Assaulting 10-Year-Old In Saggart Tells Gardaí Child Said "She Was 18"
Up to 100 Maynooth Students Face School Travel Chaos After Bus Service Pulled
Children Eating At Desks And Walking On Public Roads As Curragh Community College "Bursting At Seams"
Jim Gavin Was Asked About Tenant Dispute Twice Before Being Selected As Fianna Fáil Presidential Candidate
Three Motorists Fined During Naas School Run As Children Were Not Wearing Seatbelts