A further 448 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed this evening.
Meanwhile 42 people are currently in hospital with Covid-19, 14 of which are being treated in ICU.
The cases come as fears grow over the impact of a potential fourth wave of infections due to the Delta variant.
However Leo Varadkar has said that a fourth wave of Covid-19 doesn't mean Ireland is heading for another lockdown.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin added that Covid’s fourth wave will hit Ireland before the end of the month.
He warned: “Delta is real, there will be a Delta wave,” as he indicated it is almost upon us, adding: “towards the latter part of July, and maybe sooner, we will begin to see numbers increase.”
He said the NPHET warnings of up to 2,000 deaths from this wave was what prompted the Government to cancel the reopening of indoor eating and drinking next week.
The race between the variant and vaccines is now at a crucial stage and Mr Martin said: “The challenge for us is to build up that wall against Covid as quickly as we can."
But the Tanaiste struck a more optimistic note, insisting that there's "no reason to believe" another lockdown was on the way, despite the Delta variant.
He said: "There is no reason to believe that we will be forced to go into a fourth lockdown because of the variant.
"We can still have an outdoor summer, holiday and look forward to schools and colleges going back safely in September when all adults are vaccinated."
“And we may be vaccinating teenagers at that point too," he told the Irish Independent.
Almost half of Irish adults are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, HSE chief executive Paul Reid has said.
New figures released on Saturday show that 48% of adults, 1.8 million people, have now received two doses of the vaccine, while another 68%, 2.56 million, have had their first dose.
It comes after the Government announced a number of new measures aimed at boosting the vaccination rollout, in a race against the more transmissible Delta variant.
Mr Reid said Ireland must plan for the Delta variant with "concern", but with "a level of confidence also".
