The death toll now stands at 1,835 from a total of 45,243 cases.
Of the new cases, 70 per cent are in people aged under 45, with 246 cases located in Dublin, 185 in Meath,128 in Cavan, 118 in Cork, 63 in Kildare and the remaining 342 cases spread across all other counties in the Republic.
Today's figure of 1,095 cases is the highest single number reported on one day.
Responding to the high number of new cases, the chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said the situation was “extremely concerning”.
“We each need to reduce contact with other people as much as possible, so that means staying at home, working from home where possible, practising physical distancing and stopping discretionary socialising,” he said.
Today, we again report a new confirmed case figure over 1,000. This situation is extremely concerning.
We each need to reduce contact with other people, so that means staying at home, working from home where possible, physical distancing & stopping discretionary socialising. https://t.co/JIs4OXFw7nAdvertisement— Dr Tony Holohan (@DrTonyHolohan) October 14, 2020
Dr Ronan Glynn, the deputy chief medical officer, said the public needed to act now and stop socialising.
“People must recognise that the disease is a direct threat to themselves and their families,” he said.
Meanwhile, there have been 1,217 new Covid-19 cases in the North in the last 24 hours, the region's Department of Health announced.
It is the largest daily rise in cases in Northern Ireland since an extended testing regime was introduced.
There were also a further four deaths reported on Wednesday, taking the toll recorded by the department to 602.
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Earlier, the Northern Assembly announced it will introduce tough new restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus, which will see pubs and restaurants close for four weeks and schools close for two weeks over the half-term break.
The 1,217 daily case tally is not directly comparable to the first wave of the pandemic, as much fewer tests were being carried out in that period.
However, it is the highest total recorded since the testing regime was expanded in Northern Ireland to take in community settings.
A total of 6,693 new positive cases of the virus have been detected in the last seven days, bringing the total number of cases in the region to 23,115.
There are currently 164 patients in hospitals in the North with Covid-19, including 24 in intensive care.
The Derry and Strabane Council area, which has been experiencing the highest infection rate in the UK and Ireland, now has a seven-day average of 992 cases per 100,000 people.
In the Republic, the Cabinet will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the strict new lockdown measures introduced in the North.
Speculation is rife that border counties such as Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan, which themselves have high incidence rates of the virus, could be moved to Level Four restrictions.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly this afternoon refused to rule out the measures, after they were earlier raised by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.
Speaking at a post-budget press conference, Mr Donnelly said there is an “ongoing conversation” with the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) as to the possibility of new restrictions.
But with news of the emergency Cabinet meeting breaking during the press conference, Mr Donnelly refused to be drawn on what course of action he would take.
“I don’t think it would be helpful for me to be thinking out loud”, he said.
“The issues are too sensitive, the implication for people in those counties are just too big.”
Mr Donnelly said any decision to move counties up a level would have to be dealt with “very sensitively”.
Nphet are due to meet on Thursday to decide whether a move to higher levels of restriction would be appropriate.
However, the decision to call an emergency Cabinet meeting could pre-empt that advice. – Additional reporting: PA
