The death toll from Covid-19 in the Republic is 158, as 21 further deaths have been confirmed.
390 new cases were detected yesterday bringing the total number of positive tests to 4,994.
As of Friday at midnight, 165 people were admitted to Intensive Care Units, while 1,163 cases are associated with healthcare workers.
Health Minister Simon Harris says barriers to entry for nurses are being removed to ensure more staff can be recruited.
"We have decided to waive the registration fee for any new nurse joining the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.
"The Department of Health are going to meet the fees for any new registrant to the NMBI, provided that they either have an offer of a fixed term Covid-19 employment, so they're either going to work for the health service during Covid-19, or they're living in Ireland and are available to work."
