The number of Covid-19 cases in the Republic has exceeded 80,000, after a further 727 cases were confirmed.

There have now been a total of 80,267 cases here. No new deaths were recorded, leaving the total number of deaths here at 2,158.

Of the 727 cases, 311 occurred in Dublin, 51 in Kilkenny, 48 in Wexford, 44 in Donegal and 44 in Cork.

The Department of Health's chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, described the current disease trends as "gravely concerning".

"The situation has deteriorated rapidly in recent days. A total of 3,837 cases have been notified in the past seven days. The five-day rolling average has increased from 339 on December 17 to 616 on December 21 - an 82% increase. It is now as important as it was back in March to limit your contacts and protect your loved ones," he commented.

According to the chairperson of NPHET's Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, Prof Philip Nolan, the virus is transmitting "very rapidly, faster than we have seen at any point since March".

"The case numbers are growing at least 5-7% per day and, of particular concern, across all age groups. We are clearly now in a third wave of this pandemic," he warned.

According to Dr Cillian De Gascun, medical virologist and director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, to date, the novel SARS-CoV-2 UK variant, which is known to spread more rapidly, has not been detected in Ireland.

"However, as we know the variant has been circulating in the UK since September, therefore we cannot exclude the possibility that the variant is already in Ireland. We are prioritising the sequencing of cases with confirmed or suspected links to the UK," he noted.

Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved the use of the first vaccine for COVID-19 in Europe - the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The news was welcomed by the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, who said that the first vaccinations will take place in Ireland "within the coming days".

"We have detailed plans in place for this rollout through the National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy. The most vulnerable will be prioritised first and over time, these vaccines will allow us to re-open our society and economy.

"In the meantime, I am asking everyone to continue to follow the public health guidance. COVID-19 is still with us and it is still deadly. We all know the right actions - wash your hands, wear a face covering, maintain a two-metre social distance and remember that every contact counts," Minister Donnelly said.

The news was also welcomed by the HSE. Its CEO, Paul Reid, reminded people that the vaccine "is not our first line of defence against COVID-19 for now, nor will it be for some time to come".

"Recent events have shown us how quickly this virus can spread and how devastating that can be for our loved ones. We've seen how quickly an increase in cases can translate to illness, to pressures in our hospitals and to pressures in ICUs. For now everyone in Ireland should focus on maintaining the prevention and protective actions that have become part of how we are all working and living," he commented.