Another 61 deaths from COVID-19 have been confirmed, along with 2,488 more cases.

This brings the total number of deaths here to 2,758 and the total number of cases to 179,324.

Of the 61 deaths reported, 58 occurred this month and the median age of those who died was 83 years.

Of the 2,488 new cases, 726 occurred in Dublin, 314 in Cork, 148 in Galway, 133 in Limerick and 130 in Meath.

As of 2pm on Wednesday, 1,923 people were in hospital with confirmed COVID. As of 11am, 210 patients were in ICU. There had been 85 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

"The number of cases and deaths that we are reporting today and the persisting high incidence rate of COVID-19 across the country shows that we cannot underestimate the highly infectious nature of this disease and the impact that it can have on families and communities," commented the Department of Health's chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan.

He reminded people that the virus spreads "through close contacts and through the congregation of people".

"We need everyone to stay at home as much as possible, and to work from home where possible. You should not meet up with friends or loved ones, unless you are caring for them.

"If you go out for exercise, you need to stay within 5km from your home, wear a face covering where appropriate and wash your hands when you return home to protect yourself from infection," Dr Holohan said.

He also reminded people that if they are COVID positive, they should self-isolate.

"Stay at home in your room, avoiding contact with other people. This is to protect the other people that you live with," he added.

More information on the latest figures in relation to COVID-19, including the number of people vaccinated so far, is available here.