PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have confirmed a further 675 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland this afternoon.

A further six new Covid-19 deaths have been reported by the Department of Health, bringing the total number of people who have died to 1,896.

The new cases confirmed today bring the total number of cases in Ireland to 59,434.

Of the cases confirmed today, 309 are among men and 364 are among women, with a median age of 35.

65% of people with a case notified in today’s figures are under the age of 45.

As of 2pm today, 328 Covid-19 patients are in hospital, of which 41 are in ICU.

19 additional hospitalisations have been made in the last 24 hours.

Of today’s cases, there are 199 in Dublin, 104 in Cork, 67 in Meath, 50 in Limerick, and 41 in Kildare, while the remaining 214 cases are spread across another 20 counties.

Six counties – Sligo, Roscommon, Mayo, Wexford, Waterford and Leitrim – reported fewer than five new Covid-19 cases today.

The national 14-day incidence now stands at 299 per 100,000 cases.

Validation of data at the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has led to the identification of eight previously confirmed cases, which is reflected in the current total figure of 59,434 cases.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said that “everyone must be aware of the actions they should take if they have symptoms or are awaiting a test or if they are a contact of a confirmed case”.

“If you have symptoms of Covid-19, you must self isolate and phone your GP for further advice,” Dr Holohan said.

“If you have been referred for a test or are awaiting a test result, you must self isolate,” he said.

“If you are a confirmed case of COVID-19 you must self isolate for 10 days.

“If you are identified or have identified yourself as a close contact of a confirmed case, you must restrict your movements.”

At last night’s National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) briefing, officials said they were not anticipating a need to advise the government to keep schools closed after the mid-term break.

Dr Holohan said that “in terms of the data we’re looking at, we do not anticipate that we’ll be in a situation where we’ll be going back to advise the minister to advise Government that on public health grounds, we wouldn’t see at this moment in time that schools shouldn’t reopen as planned”.

Holohan also said that typical Halloween celebrations would not be possible this year, and that children or families from different households should not meet to mark the day.

“The kind of mixing that that would go on is social settings that we are all familiar with at Halloween time – visiting one anothers houses, gathering together in the evening time for the kind of celebrations that we all miss – these things are just not going to be possible this year I’m afraid,” Holohan said. 

Earlier today, Northern Ireland’s Department of Health confirmed that an additional nine deaths and 840 new Covid-19 cases had been confirmed in the North.