One in 50 people in Co Monaghan had coronavirus over the past two weeks, the latest figures show.
Monaghan has the highest 14-day incidence rate in the Republic, recording 2,119.4 cases per 100,000 people.
It comes as the State recorded 20 deaths and 8,248 new cases on Friday night, once again breaking the record for the highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic.
From December 25th up until midnight on January 7th, Monaghan recorded a total of 1,301 new cases of Covid-19, according to data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
The county with the second-highest incidence rate is Louth, which has a rate of 1839.6, followed by Limerick with a rate of 1609.6.
During this same 14-day period, Louth recorded 2,371 new cases while Limerick recorded 3,137.
Overall, 51,795 cases of the virus were recorded in Ireland over the past 14 days – the national incidence rate is at 1,087.7.
During the same period 1,067 people were admitted to hospital and a further 61 people were admitted to intensive care units (ICU).
There are currently 1,285 people in hospital with Covid-19 and a further 199 in ICU.
Age breakdown
The median age of cases during this 14-day period was 36 years of age.
Those aged between 25 and 34 accounted for 10,454 new cases of the virus, followed by 35-44 year olds who accounted for 8,154.
As cases in hospital continue to rise, 210 people aged 75 to 84 were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 during this period.
There were also 192 people aged between 65 and 74 who ended up in hospital with the virus.
