A total of 518 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported by the Department of Health today.
The highest numbers of new cases were in Dublin (134), Cork (53), Limerick (49), Donegal (34) and Meath (32), and the remaining 216 cases are spread across 20 other counties.
No additional deaths were reported by health officials today for the second day.
Of today’s reported cases, 68% are under 45 years of age and 30% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case.
The latest hospital figures show that there are currently 150 people with Covid-19 in hospitals across the State. Twenty-three people are in ICU.
Dr Tony Holohan, who has resumed his role as Chief Medical Officer, said that we have seen in recent days a significant and concerning deterioration in the epidemiological situation nationally.
“It is vital that we do everything in our power now to arrest the current trajectory nationally and very substantially suppress the virus back down to a low level of transmission in advance of the winter months,” he said.
“Do not become distracted from the core public health messages; wash hands regularly, keep your distance, wear face coverings where appropriate, avoid crowded environments, cut your social contacts down to minimum levels, know the symptoms and isolate yourself and contact your GP immediately if you experience them.”
