Two more people with Covid-19 have died and 613 new cases of the virus have been confirmed – the highest number of additional cases reported since the end of April.
The Department of Health has also confirmed that eight further deaths related to the disease occurred before September.
Of today’s new cases, 19 are in Galway – where the total number since the start of the pandemic has now surpassed 800.
Dublin, Donegal, Cork, Kildare and Limerick saw the largest numbers of new cases today, and 68% are under the age of 45.
There are currently 20 people in ICU with Covid-19 in the Republic, and 118 people with the virus in Irish hospitals.
Speaking this evening, Dr Ronan Glynn said that the numbers being reported today and over the past week represent a significant escalation in the profile of Covid-19 in Ireland.
“For those aged 70+ and those who are medically vulnerable to Covid-19, it is strongly recommended that you should limit the number of people you meet to a very small core group of family members, carers or friends, for short periods of time, while remaining physically distant,” he said.
“We need to work together once again to make a significant impact on the number of cases in the community, and ultimately to reduce the number of people getting sick, being admitted to hospital and critical care, while protecting non-Covid healthcare services.
“I urge people in every county to follow the public health advice to stop the further spread of Covid-19.”
Of the cases notified today;
- 315 are men / 294 are women
- 68% are under 45 years of age
- 30% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
- 58 cases have been identified as community transmission
