Christmas parties are adding to the spike in Covid-19 cases nationwide, the Chief Medical Officer has said.
Dr Tony Holohan warned that gatherings in the workplace, Christmas parties and too many people attending funerals have all attributed to the stark rise.
He was speaking as Ireland recorded another 484 infections and three further deaths on Thursday.
This brings the total number of cases in the Republic to 77,678, with the death toll now rising to 2,143.
Meanwhile, health experts believe the reproduction number of the disease is somewhere between 1.1 and 1.3.
Speaking this evening, Dr Holohan again appealed to the public to limit their social contacts, to stop the current trend and prevent further loss of life in January.
He said: "The 5-day moving average is 387 per day – this is an indicator that the disease is moving quickly when compared to the previous 5-day average.
"The virus is spreading throughout the country, in all age groups.
“We are now getting reports of outbreaks in social settings including workplace settings, Christmas parties and funerals.
"I cannot stress enough how important it is to limit your interactions now.
"The consequences of not doing so will be exponential growth in January, a substantial increase in hospitalisations and risk to life.”
