The Department of Health has been notified of nine more coronavirus-related deaths and 1,546 new cases of the disease.
This is the highest number of new infections reported in a single day since the pandemic began.
The total number of people who have died with Covid-19 now stands at 2,213, including the denotification of one death.
The cumulative total number of positive cases is 88,439, including the denotification of one case.
The number of patients in ICU with Covid-19 is 34, an increase of four since yesterday. There are 411 patients with the disease in hospital with 47 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
There has been a big increase in new Covid-19 cases in Northern Ireland with 1,566 positive tests confirmed in the past 24 hours.
Earlier today, a 79-year-old Dublin woman became the first person in the country to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
Annie Lynch, a grandmother of 10, was administered the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at St James's Hospital.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said: "We have reached a significant milestone in our collective response to the pandemic in Ireland, with the launch of our national vaccination programme.
"To see the first recipients of the vaccine gives us hope for better times ahead, particularly for those of us who are the most vulnerable to the virus, including those over 70 and with underlying medical conditions.
"The vaccination programme will focus on the priority groups in line with the recent decisions of Government in the first instance."
Dr Holohan added: "As the vaccination programme rolls out, particularly given the increasing spread of the disease and the concerning rise in the number of hospitalisations – up to 411 today – we each need to remember to remain vigilant to the ongoing risk of the spread of Covid-19 and follow the public health advice in our everyday lives.
"This is our only means to suppress the spread of the virus in the community. You are protecting yourself and your family from this highly infectious virus every time you wash your hands, wear a face covering, keep a two metre distance, reduce your social contacts and stay at home if you feel unwell."
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Of the cases notified today 757 are men and 788 are women while 66% are under 45 years of age.
There were 444 cases reported in Dublin, 203 in Cork, 111 in Louth, 87 in Limerick, 85 in Donegal and the remaining 616 cases were spread across all other counties.
The 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population nationally is now 245.6. Counties with the highest infection rates include Donegal (457.3), Monaghan (454.5) and Louth (395.7).
Counties with the lowest incidence of coronavirus include Leitrim (90.5), Offaly (98.8) and Longford (100.3).
Chief Nursing Officer, Rachel Kenna, said: "It is really great to see the Covid-19 vaccination programme commence today following the specific training for this significant vaccination programme.
"Many nurses and midwives are trained vaccinators and alongside their colleagues including hospital doctors, GPs, public health, pharmacists and allied health colleagues will play a significant role in delivering a safe, patient centred approach to the programme.
"Many nurses and midwives will be among the first to receive the vaccine so we can continue to provide care to all our patients
"It is vital however to support them and all our frontline staff by continuing to adhere to the public health measures advised as the vaccine programme rolls out."
The latest update comes as Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the Cabinet will meet today to consider further restrictions, in light of the rising number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 Lead for the Irish College of General Practitioners Dr Nuala O'Connor said there has been a 65% increase in GP referrals for Covid-19 tests in the last week.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr O'Connor said they would have referred approximately 25,000 people in the first week of December, but the fourth week saw nearly 70,000 referrals.
She said they are expecting a rise in case numbers as more of those referrals are processed.
"We also know that there's been inter-generational mixing," Dr O'Connor said.
"We know that the average number of contacts has gone up to 5.9, there are some people who would have had up to 15 contacts over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
"As the positive cases go up, the close contacts will go up, so I think we're going to see the effect of socialising over Christmas in the numbers over the coming week to ten days."
Dr O'Connor said they are receiving calls from a lot of people who are self-declaring as close contacts and are seeking a test.
If you are tested too soon, the virus may not have grown sufficiently enough to be detected, she said, adding that they are trying to schedule tests on, or after, day five.
"What we really want people to do is to stay at home and wait for the HSE contact tracers to call them," Dr O'Connor said.
"There's a bit of an obsession with the actual test itself, but it's the behaviour associated around the symptoms of Covid and being declared a close contact is what's important."
She said we "have an opportunity now" to affect the trajectory of the third wave and that people's behaviour will have a significant impact".
