It comes as 1,605 people are in hospital with the virus today.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is calling on the government to reintroduce mask mandates.
A new HSE report has highlighted the disruption the recent wave of Covid has had in hospitals.
However, the Health Minister says there has been no advice to reintroduce some restrictions at the moment.
Stephen Donnelly has instead urged anyone who has yet to get the booster vaccine to do so.
The situation in our hospitals is chaotic. ICU numbers aren’t increasing but we have a high levels of hospital admission that we simply can’t cope with and that requires public health measures, to ensure those who are so sick, that are being admitted, can actually get treatment. pic.twitter.com/f8dB5tysBQ
— Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) March 28, 2022
Currently, the HSE advises those to wear masks in crowded outdoor places and indoor spaces.
Director of Industrial Relations with the INMO, Tony Fitzpatrick, is calling on senior ministers to take action:
"We need the government to step up to the mark now and show the leadership that's required," he said.
"All the public health measures that we know will break the cycle - need to be reintroduced now."
"BA2 is way more transmissible than what has come before."
