A further 46 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the Republic, bringing the total number of deaths here to 2,397.

According to the Department of Health, two of these deaths occurred in December, however the remaining 44 occurred this month.

Commenting on the latest figures, the department's chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said that they unfortunately reflect "the effect of the recent surge of infections".

"Due to the unsustainably high level of COVID-19 infection we have experienced as a country over the past few weeks, sadly these figures are likely to continue for the next period of time. What we can do today, out of respect of those who have lost their lives and those currently in hospital or ICU, and those caring for them, is to hold firm and stay home," he said.

A further 3,086 cases of the virus were also confirmed, bringing the total number of cases here to 155,591.

Of these cases, 604 occurred in Galway, 574 in Dublin, 466 in Mayo, 187 in Cork and 138 in Limerick.

Some 54% of those affected were under the age of 45.

According to the department's deputy chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, at least one-third of patients admitted to hospital or critical care so far this month have been under the age of 65 years.

"This clearly demonstrates that COVID-19 affects us all, regardless of age or underlying condition. It highlights the need for us all to protect one another by staying at home. Not only will you keep yourself and your loved ones safe, but also help avoid more preventable COVID-19 admissions to our currently struggling healthcare system," Dr Glynn added.

Meanwhile, the first batch of the Moderna vaccine was delivered to Ireland on Tuesday afternoon. The news was welcomed by the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, who said that while the delivery was a "small one, every vaccine counts".

Ireland has pre-ordered 875,000 doses of this vaccine, which like the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, requires two doses.