There have been a further 3,793 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic, the Department of Health has said.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 578 patients in hospital with the disease, with 117 of those in intensive care units.
It comes after the first case of the Omicron variant was confirmed in Ireland.
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said the discovery of the first Omicron case “should not change how we are responding to the public health measures that are already in place”.
He added: “The best mitigation we have against transmission of this virus, regardless of the variant, are the public health measures that we are so familiar with and more importantly, that we know will work.
“For at least the next two weeks, if we can all make a concerted effort to reduce our contacts, then I am hopeful that we can make a real difference to incidence of disease in Ireland.
“There is no group who should feel the public health advice does not apply to them. It is only if we act together that we can keep ourselves, our loved ones and health and social care facilities safe.”
Meanwhile, in the North a further four deaths of patients who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 were reported.
Another 1,992 cases of the virus were also notified in the region.
On Wednesday morning there were 332 Covid-positive patients in hospital in Northern Ireland, of whom 30 were in intensive care.
