Three further deaths and 313 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the Republic.
There has now been a total of 2,120 coronavirus-related deaths in the State.
Of the new cases, 67 per cent are in people aged under 45, with 70 cases located in Dublin, 31 in Mayo, 21 in Kilkenny, 19 in Donegal, 18 in Laois and the remaining 154 spread across 19 other counties.
The latest figures show 203 Covid-19 patients are in hospital, with 36 in intensive care.
Counties Donegal and Kilkenny have the highest infection rates in the State.
In Donegal, the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population is 229.9 and in Kilkenny it stands at 194.5. The lowest rate is in Leitrim at 15.6.
As for the South East counties: There are 21 in Kilkenny, 14 in Carlow, 6 in Waterford, 5 in Tipperary and Wexford has confirmed less than 5 new infections this evening.
The figures come after the Government received a report detailing how Covid-19 vaccines will be rolled out across the country.
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said a vaccine to protect against the virus is now “just around the corner”.
However, he warned of “real regret” if a surge in infection leads to preventable deaths shortly before a vaccine is distributed.
“It’s important for us to remind ourselves just how fragile those gains are,” he said of Ireland’s lowered rates of the virus.
“If we don’t maintain a very high level of practise in terms of important public health measures as we await the exciting development of vaccination – which in many ways is just around the corner -–it would be a real regret if we were to see a surge in infections and preventable mortality occurring as a result of that for people who might otherwise be vaccinated in a few short weeks or months.”
Meanwhile, another 12 people have died with Covid-19 in Northern Ireland with an additional 538 people testing positive for the disease.
The North’s Minister of Health said on Friday that he would have liked stricter coronavirus restrictions in place in the region ahead of Christmas.
Robin Swann outlined misgivings about the lifting of the latest circuit-break lockdown, as shops and hospitality businesses reopened on Friday.
He said a further tightening of restrictions would be needed in January in response to the anticipated rise in infections as a result of the festive season relaxations.
