Leo Varadkar has shared a "positive note" as Ireland nears the end of its first week back in lockdown.
Level Five restrictions were brought in last Wednesday night for six weeks in order to stop the rapid spread of Covid-19.
And the Tanaiste has now shared an optimistic message - by talking about the drop of cases in Israel.
The country had seen a massive rise in infections, at one point reaching well over 5,000 per day.
But after entering another strict lockdown, cases are now well back into the hundreds, with schools set to reopen as well.
Sharing a photo of the Israel case graph on Twitter, Mr Varadkar said: "On a more positive note, this is what can be achieved.
"Israel is four weeks into its second lockdown. Results were slow at first but they came #FlattenTheCurve."
It comes after Mr Varadkar he is “increasingly optimistic, as is Government, that we will see a vaccine approved in the next couple of months.”
And he added that “in the first half if not the first quarter of next year, that it will be possible to start vaccinating those most at risk – healthcare workers and people with chronic illnesses.”
Mr Varadkar told RTE his view is “based on information coming to us both from the companies that are developing it and from statements from the WHO, for example.”
