Six cases of the Omicron variant of covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland.
A second case of the variant was reported this evening, however, a further four have now been confirmed.
It's not yet clear as to whether the cases are travel related.
Studies have suggested Omicron is more transmissible than other Covid strains, and a booster may be needed for full protection.
HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry says it's likely more cases will be confirmed in the coming weeks;
"I've no doubt there will be further cases, no doubt. There is a marker for this but it's not absolutely specific, that's the S-gene dropout and at the moment a number of S-gene drop outs are being investigated and sequenced and I've no doubt that many of those will be confirmed as Omicron cases."
Meanwhile, the Department of Health has also confirmed 4,022 new cases of Coronavirus this evening.
