A further 613 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, as well as 10 more deaths from the virus.

According to the Department of Health, eight of the 10 deaths reported occurred prior to September. The number of deaths here now stands at 1,810.

Of the 613 new cases of the virus, 224 were in Dublin, 58 in Donegal, 46 in Cork, 44 in Kildare and 31 in Limerick. The total number of cases here is now 37,668.

The acting chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, has described the latest numbers as "a significant escalation in the profile of COVID-19 in Ireland".

"We need to work together once again to make a significant impact on the number of cases in the community, and ultimately to reduce the number of people getting sick, being admitted to hospital and critical care, while protecting non-COVID healthcare services. I urge people in every county to follow the public health advice to stop the further spread of COVID-19," he commented.

Dr Glynn also appealed to people over the age of 70, and those who are medically vulnerable to the virus, to limit their contacts.

"It is strongly recommended that you should limit the number of people you meet to a very small core group of family members, carers, or friends, for short periods of time, while remaining physically distant," he said.

Over 88,000 tests have been carried out in the last seven days, giving a positivity rating of 3.4%.

Meanwhile, 726 new cases of COVID-19 have also been confirmed in Northern Ireland. This is the second highest number of daily cases recorded in the North since the pandemic began. On Friday, a record high of 934 was reported.

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