There has been a significant upsurge in the numbers of people affected by swine flu over the past week, the Department of Health confirmed this evening.
Its chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan told a press briefing in Dublin that the rates of infection rose to 72.2 per 100,000 of the population in the past week from 40 per 100,000 the previous week.
He said this significant increase may imply "we are at the start of an acceleration phase" in the spread of the pandemic H1N1 virus.
“Certainly our assumptions are that that's what we could be looking at but we'll know more when we see the rates for next week," he said.
He added that there have been a further six outbreaks of swine flu in schools over the last week but no schools have had to close.
In addition 33 more people have been hospitalised around the country with swine flu over the past seven days.
And the numbers of laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu increased by 266 over the past week to 1,268.
Dr Holohan reiterated the importance of good hand hygiene and using tissues when coughing and sneezing to prevent the spread of the virus.
People with symptoms should stay at home from work or school for seven days.
Meanwhile the HSE had confirmed it is still awaiting licensing of the swine flu vaccine.
Its national director of population health Dr Pat Doorley said he expects however that it will be licensed some time in October and then the HSE vaccination programme will begin.
Between 60 and 100 special clinics are to be set up across the State to vaccinate the entire population and around 2,000 healthcare staff, including doctors, nurses and administrative staff will be redeployed to work in these centres, he said.