There have been 679 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the Republic, according to the Department of Health.
One further death associated with the virus has also been reported in the past 24 hours.
The latest figures bring the total amount of cases here to 215,057, while the number of coronavirus-related deaths stands at 4,136.
Of the latest cases, 71% are under 45 years of age, while the median age is 32 years old.
Regarding the nationwide distribution of cases, 230 are in Dublin, 59 in Limerick, 48 in Galway, 47 in Kildare and 29 in Tipperary.
The remaining 266 cases are spread across 19 other counties.
As of 8am today, 744 people are now receiving treatment in hospital for the virus after 45 new admissions in the past 24 hours.
Of those patients, 148 are in ICU, down from 149 yesterday.
The 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 of the population now stands at 243.
Today’s cases, 5-day moving average of new cases, 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population and new cases in the last 14 days (as of midnight 20 February 2021)
Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health, said that while "the level of disease in our communities remains very high, we are still making progress".
“We have reported less than 1,000 cases each day this week and our 7-day average has fallen from 1,022 two weeks ago, to 862 last week, to 792 today," he said.
"The number of people in hospital has fallen from over 1,200 two weeks ago, to 744 today.
He added: “Do not underestimate the power of your actions as we seek to protect the gains we have made and further reduce transmission.
"This week, please continue to work from home unless essential and do not visit other households unless for essential reasons or as part of a support bubble.”
Brazilian variant
Latest figures show that as of February 18th, 326,475 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland.
205,955 people have received their first dose, while 120,520 people have received a second dose.
It comes as the Director of the HSE's National Immunisation Office has said the public should not be concerned as yet over whether COVID-19 vaccines will be effective against the variant originating in Brazil.
Dr Lucy Jessop sought to reassure people who may be concerned about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines against the latest strain from Brazil.
Speaking to On The Record with Gavan Reilly, she said authorities are keeping "a close eye" on looking for new variants, while vaccine manufactures are also monitoring the new mutations to see whether changes will have to be made to the inoculations in the future.
Meanwhile, infectious disease expert Professor Sam McConkey said there is no evidence as yet that the strain from Brazil is more transmissible than other variants, including the mutation from the UK.
