The number of Covid-19 cases diagnosed in Ireland has risen for the first time in 10 weeks.
For the week ending July 3, 78 new cases were confirmed here, bringing the then total to 25,507.
This was up nine cases from the previous seven days and the first time Ireland saw a weekly rise since May.
But the same period also saw a drop in deaths related to the deadly bug, which fell to five from nine.
Meanwhile, almost half of all confirmed cases are linked to an outbreak, while healthcare workers continue to make up a third of all cases.
The 24-44 age group still has the highest number of confirmed cases at 8,784.
Dublin and Kildare were the only two counties to record more than 10 cases last week, while it was the third week in a row that Clare and Offaly recorded none.
It was also the seventh week in a row that Mayo, Offaly, Westmeath and Wicklow had less than 10 new cases.
Clare, Leitrim, Longford, Tipperary and Wexford had less than 10 new cases for the eight straight week, while it was the ninth that Donegal, Laois and Kerry had less than 10.
The news comes as health chiefs urged caution after Ireland reproductive rate rose to around one.
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group said: "We are seeing an increase in the number of reported cases over the last two weeks and the R-number is now at or above one."
Speaking this morning on RTE's Morning Ireland Professor Nolan called for "caution" and "leadership" at this time.
He said: "To a certain extent this was expected as we open up, we were bound to see some additional cases.
"I don't mean to trivialise it, each new case is a risk to that person, the person they contact, a significant burden on public health.
"We've seen an increase in cases and I talk about the increase in cases, they're clustering rather than the reproduction number.
"This is the point at which we need to re-sound the message about going about our business with great caution so that there is no opportunity for the virus to spread and to encourage people very strongly to remember that we've seen very low levels of the virus and very low numbers of cases still and it's at this early point we want to remind and encourage the public that we can resume some level of social activity and some level of economic activity but with great caution."
