1,285 people with Covid-19 being treated in hospital this morning

1,285 people with Covid-19 are being treated in hospital this morning, an increase of 132 since yesterday.
There are 107 patients with the virus in ICU.
It comes as the more highly transmissible South African variant has been identified in Ireland.
The first three cases of the strain were confirmed here yesterday, along with a record 8,248 new cases of Covid-19.
Dr Cillian de Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, says vaccines may not be fully effective in combating the South African variant: