A total of 344 more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Ireland, while four more deaths have been confirmed.
It brings the total number of cases here to 70,143 since the outbreak began.
The latest figures were announced by the Department of Health this evening.
Dublin once again reported the highest number of new cases with 127, followed by Cork with 46.
Louth saw a noticeable increase with 26, as did Donegal with 22 and Limerick with 20.
The remaining 103 cases are spread across 20 other counties.
As of 2pm today 269 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 32 are in ICU. There were 12 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
Of the cases notified today:
- 156 are men / 185 are women
- 69% are under 45 years of age
- The median age is 32 years old
Today's increase in cases comes after the WHO Director-General said on Friday that the vaccine news of recent weeks has given "hope of ending the pandemic".
On the same day, Taoiseach Micheal Martin announced that Ireland could have vaccine approval before the year is out.
Jab updates have been lighting up world headlines almost daily but many people remain confused as to what the news means for the country of Ireland and ending the pandemic.
Here's all we know so far about the vaccines looking for approval, where Ireland stands and the chances of the pandemic ending anytime soon.
WHO say there is "hope of ending the pandemic"
WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that the vaccine news is very positive and has given the world hope.
He has however stressed that the Covid situation is worse at the moment than it has been since the beginning.
The chief said: "More cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the past 4 weeks than in the first six months of the pandemic.
"Across Europe and North America, hospitals and ICU units are filling up or full.
"This week there has been more good news from vaccine trials, which continues to give us hope of ending the pandemic. At the same time, we must continue to use the tools we have to interrupt the chains of transmission and save lives now.
"The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the intimate relationship between humans, animals and the planet we share."
Taoiseach Micheal Martin's upbeat prediction
The Taoiseach has said that we could get the gift of a vaccine for Christmas, although he doesn't expect it to be rolled out in the next month.
Speaking on Virgin Media News, Mr Martin said: “Remember, vaccines save the world for many different periods of our history in terms of eliminating a virus.”
And then he added: “We may not be in a position to deliver it during Christmas, but it would be a wonderful Christmas present in the sense of the voucher for the next 12 months…. It’s hope.”
