A significant increase in confirmed cases.
764 further Covid-19 cases have been confirmed, as well as four further deaths.
Our Covid death toll now stands at 2,158 people.
284 of Sunday’s cases are in Dublin, while 70 are in Limerick, 52 are in Donegal, 44 are in Cork, and the rest spread across other counties.
Tony Holohan issued a stark warning on Sunday evening, saying: “If you have been socialising in the past few weeks or over this weekend, consider your Christmas plans carefully. Is it responsible to meet with your family over 65 later this week, if you have not kept your contacts low? Should you cancel your plans?
“We have the very real prospect of Covid-19 vaccines on the horizon. Ensure that your loved ones stay alive to receive them, by keeping your distance from them if you have not restricted your movements to this point.
“As difficult as it may seem, staying away from older family this Christmas will protect them – and it would be an exceptional sacrifice made for the common good.”
He also said that “every indicator of disease severity is moving in the wrong direction, more rapidly than we had anticipated.”
On 11 December the 7-day incidence rate for people aged 19-44 was 106 per 100,000 population, by Saturday, this rate had more than doubled to 217 per 100,000.
Earlier on Sunday, the Northern Ireland Department of Health confirmed that a further 505 individuals have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.
Sadly, a further 13 deaths have also been reported up north.
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