The 1,293 cases confirmed by the Department of Health today is the highest daily count since the pandemic begna.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the rise was "very concerning" and has sounded the alarm that the situation could get worse.
October 10 saw the previous cases high when 1,283 were recorded - this was at the height of the second wave.
And the CMO has warned that now is not the time to let the guard down and asked people not to visit friends.
Dr Holohan said: "Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said: “For the second day in a row we are reporting more than a thousand confirmed cases of COVID-19.
"Within a few short weeks of easing measures at the beginning of December, we have now returned to the very high levels of COVID-19 circulating in the community that we have not seen since the peak of Wave Two of this disease. This is very concerning.”
"While today is a positive day with the arrival of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (Comirnaty), it does not mean that we can relax our adherence to public health measures.”
"We must continue to stay at home, avoid social contact where possible, avoid visiting friends and family and not have visitors to our homes. Our adherence to public health advice will remain our best defence against this disease and help us protect our vulnerable loved ones from the effects of COVID-19."
