A total of 617 more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Ireland, while five further deaths have been confirmed.
It brings the total number of infections here to 40,703 since the pandemic began.
The latest figures were released by the Department of Health this evening.
Dublin was once again the hardest-hit region in the country, with 123 new cases, followed by Cork with 107.
Meanwhile there was 42 in Meath, 36 in Kerry, 35 in Galway and the remaining 274 cases are located across 21 counties.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said that the latest statistics show the situation in Ireland "continues to deteriorate".
He said: “The profile of the disease continues to deteriorate. There have been an additional 32 hospitalisations and 8 ICU admissions in the past 24 hours. We are continuing to see a high number of daily cases.
“It is vital that we interrupt the transmission of the virus now.
“NPHET continues to monitor the situation however it is early, individual action that is needed to suppress the virus. Please follow public health advice and do your part to make an impact on the disease."
Of the cases notified today:
- 310 are men / 307 are women
- 73% are under 45 years of age
- 33% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
- 72 cases have been identified as community transmission
It comes after the Department of Education said earlier today that no decision has been taken as of yet on extending the mid-term break.
The Irish Mirror reported on Thursday that the Government is considering extending the break by two weeks to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The Department has said that no decision has been made at "this moment in time."
A spokesperson said: "No decision has been taken to extend schools’ mid-term breaks.
"To date the evidence demonstrates that schools have reopened safely supported by significant investment to support all infection prevention and control measures recommended by the public health authorities.
"Keeping schools safely open for children and staff is a key priority at all levels of the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with Covid-19.
"At levels 1-4 inclusive, schools can remain open with protective measures, and at level 5, recommendations will be based on the situation and evidence at the time."
The Cabinet could shut the schools for an extra two weeks to give the country a three-week total lockdown, to get the Covid 19 virus back under control.
