The Government has confirmed that 1,782 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded as of midnight on Thursday.
In a statement issued on Friday, officials warned the incidence of the disease remains high and is "continuing to increase, particularly in younger age cohorts".
The seven-day average of case numbers is now approximately 1,300, while there are 193 people with the virus in hospital, 28 of whom are being treated in intensive care.
"The trajectory remains very uncertain," the statement said, adding: "Disease profile varies across counties, with Donegal, Louth and Galway showing high incidence rates".
High risk
Those who have not yet been vaccinated were once again urged to "avoid high risk environments and activities" in addition to exercising caution and following "good public health behaviours".
In an update on testing and contact tracing, the Government said 385,000 community tests were carried out in July, "among the highest levels of testing since the start of the pandemic".
"In total, the Irish testing programme has completed over 6 million tests to date. Testing capacity remains satisfactory, with additional surge capacity available if required," the statement added.
Almost 85 per cent of the Irish population over the age of 16 has now either registered for, or received at least one dose of the vaccine, with the State administering the 6-millionth dose earlier this week.
The Government reminded the public that the HSE will once again operate walk-in vaccination centres around the country this weekend, with additional information available on the HSE website.
