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Here it comes. The expected acceleration in the number of Omicron infections here appears to have started. Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan warned last night the new variant now accounts for 11 per cent of all infections in the State - up from less than 1 per cent a week ago. The universal expectation is this will increase rapidly in the coming days and weeks.
In the UK, health secretary Sajid Javid said the Omicron coronavirus variant was now spreading at a “phenomenal rate” and now accounted for about 40 per cent of infections in London. In Northern Ireland, deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill said: “We are going to be overwhelmed with this new variant very, very soon.”
The Government is rushing to make preparations, and this is our lead story this morning.
The gap between second and third - ie, booster - doses of the vaccine is being shortened to three months to accelerate the programme, while staff are being transferred to vaccination duties to increase capacity.
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Hospitals are preparing for an influx of new cases, clearing out patients who can be discharged. The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) will meet on Thursday, when it may - this is the expectation in Government, at any rate - recommend a further tightening of restrictions.
Of course, no one yet knows what the impact of the apparently inevitable spread of Omicron will be. There are indications it spreads more easily but is less likely to cause serious illness – but there is no firm scientific consensus yet of the extent of either characteristic.
True, lots of Covid decisions have been made on sketchy information, but seldom has there been such a lack of hard data - and a fierce urgency for action.
Ministers and senior officials fear that even if Omicron is less serious, and therefore only a smaller percentage of people end up seriously ill with it, a small percentage of a very, very big number is still a big number. We’re back to the old concern about the hospitals being overwhelmed. So the goal will be to slow the spread.
All our Covid coverage is here.
The most wonderful time of the year?
It is the start of what will be a difficult final week of the Dáil term before the Christmas recess begins on Thursday.
This morning's Cabinet agenda is crammed, sources say, and nobody is ruling out a second Cabinet meeting later this week if Nphet comes back with advice on further restrictions. Jennifer Bray has a Cabinet preview here.
The days in the Dáil are busy too, with several pieces of must-pass legislation - including the appropriations Bill, without which there is no legal basis for Government spending - due to come before TDs. Today’s sitting won’t adjourn until nearly midnight.
On Thursday and Friday, EU leaders including the Taoiseach meet for the December summit to discuss the pandemic, Russia’s aggressive pose on Ukraine’s borders, migration and other matters.
The Government also faces uncomfortable questions about the rollout of the national broadband plan and the financial structures put in place by the winning bidder, following recent stories in the Currency and the Business Post.
The Department of Communications has insisted there were no issues arising from the funding arrangements for the project by private investors, or the fees paid to its promoters - but there is deep unease in parts of the Government about this, and the Opposition is unlikely to let it sit.
As we note today, the previous Fine Gael-led government was warned in unprecedentedly strong terms by its own officials not to proceed with the project.
The truckers are threatening to shut down the city again.
And there’s all those Christmas presents to buy . . . bottom line: it’s going be a long week.
Best reads
Ireland frustrated at the Security Council yesterday.
Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin calls on Gerry Adams to apologise. Now that's something you don't see every day.
Fintan O'Toole on the case of Julian Assange.
The new German chancellor makes an awkward visit to Poland.
Playbook
A busy Cabinet this morning. Dáil business starts at 2pm with Leaders’ Questions followed by the weekly order of business, Taoiseach’s orals (pre-submitted questions, unlike the earlier Leaders’ Questions format), statements on this week’s summit, Sinn Féin Private Members’ business on renters and questions to Eamon Ryan.
The finance Bill is in the Seanad, while former tánaiste and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore is in at the foreign affairs committee for an update on his work as special EU representative to the peace process in Colombia. Elsewhere, the committee on children has a session on child poverty with representatives from One Family, the National Women’s Council and community representatives.
Full schedule for the day in the Oireachtas is here.
Over in Westminster, there's further entertainment from the latest episode of the Boris Burlesque as the embattled PM faces the biggest backbench rebellion of his premiership on Tuesday with more than 70 Conservative MPs threatening to vote against new coronavirus measures. Denis Staunton has the story.
We'll keep you in touch with all of it and more during the day on irishtimes.com.