The total number of Covid-19 outbreaks reduced last week, according to new figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
There were 196 outbreaks reported, compared with 265 the previous week.
The biggest reduction was seen in private houses, which fell by more than half to 36.
But there was an increase in extended family outbreaks from 13 the previous week, to 21 last week.
There was a small rise in retail outlet outbreaks to four, compared with two the previous week.
Workplace outbreaks reduced to 29, compared with 36 the previous week.
The data is for the week to Saturday 30 January, during which the HSE resumed contact tracing of close contacts.
Latest figures from the HSE show that the number of patients in hospital with Covid-19 has reduced slightly to 1,367.
Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Waterford each have 96 cases, the largest number in the country. St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin is treating 94 people with Covid-19.
The number of patients in intensive care units remains stable at 205.
Overall, the hospital system has 38 adult intensive care beds available and 11 hospitals are listed as having no critical care beds free.
Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid said while the number of patients in hospital with Covid-19 has reduced "we remain at high risk".
In a tweet, he said that medical staff are noting that patients with the virus are spending longer time periods in ICUs.
#COVID19 hospitalised patients have reduced again to 1367. But with 205 in ICU & 301 receiving critical care outside of ICU, we remain at high risk. Our consultants advise of patients treated in ICU for longer periods. Please continue to help our hospitals to recover. @HSELive
— Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) February 3, 2021
Elsewhere, a further 11 people with Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland.
Another 504 positive cases of the virus were also notified by their Department of Health.
There are 701 Covid-positive inpatients in hospital, 65 of whom are in intensive care.
Yesterday, the Department of Health reported 101 further coronavirus-related deaths, which is the highest number of deaths reported by the department since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
A further 879 new cases of Covid-19 were reported.
The President of the Intensive Care Society of Ireland said the number of deaths reported yesterday is "very sobering ... but not totally unexpected".
Dr Colman O'Loughlin, who is also Director of Critical Care Medicine at the Mater Hospital in Dublin, said that "we are seeing a pattern in intensive care of sicker patients coming into us and staying longer".
He said the average length of stay in the last wave was 10 to 14 days, but it is longer this time, and the degree of lung injury is more severe in many patients and many are not responding to treatment.
Dr O'Loughlin said it "is a different pattern of disease and far more challenging" though data is not yet available to tell if new variants of the virus are responsible for this.
He said ICUs across the country are full with most "in surge" where they are using other space to care for ICU and inter-hospital transfer of patients.
Dr O'Loughlin said the mobile ICU ambulance transferred five patients in one 24-hour period last week to other hospitals with more ICU capacity.
A consultant geriatrician has said the situation in nursing homes with regard to Covid-19 is as bad now as during the first wave last year.
Professor Sean Kennelly said the high number of deaths recorded yesterday is terribly sad and reflective of the significant impacts that have been seen on hospital and community services and those in nursing homes since the start of the year.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said that up to 50% of residents can become infected when a nursing home has a Covid outbreak and a quarter of them may die, while a quarter of staff could also become infected.
He added that nursing homes with experience of previous outbreaks are proving to be more resilient now at managing outbreaks and quickly implementing restrictions for visits and staff.
Solidarity/PBP's Richard Boyd Barrett has said there is more non-essential work going on, than there was in the first lockdown, because the Government is not policing it.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, he said: "People who could be staying at home are being forced, encouraged or whatever in by employers in to go to work when they shouldn't be and that could cause a problem in terms of driving down the level of the virus."
