That's according to Mullingar's Professor Kingston Mills.
The Chief Medical Officer has warned of a "significant risk" to staff and patients from the rising numbers with Covid-19 in hospital.
In Dr Tony Holohan's letter to the Health Minister on January 7th, he also said the increase will reduce the ability of hospitals to provide safe, high-quality care.
The latest figures show there are 2,023 patients with the virus in hospital and 200 in intensive care.
Mullingar's Professor Kingston Mills, an immunology expert at Trinity College Dublin, says the pressure on the system will remain for a number of weeks:
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