PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have reported a further 2,488 cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

61 additional deaths have also been confirmed in the latest figures released this evening by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET). 58 of these deaths occurred in January, health officials said.

This brings the total number of deaths associated with the disease to 2,768 and the total number of Covid-19 cases to 179,324.

NPHET said that the median age of the 61 new deaths was 83 years, and those who died were aged between 41 and 100.

Of the new cases notified today:

• 1,090 are in men and 1,383 are in women;
• 51% are in people under the age of 45;
• The median age is 44 years-old;
• 726 are in people based in Dublin; 314 are among people based in Cork; 148 are among people based in Galway; 133 are among people in Limerick; 130 are among people in Meath; and the remaining 1,037 are among people in other counties. 

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said this evening that the number of cases and deaths is indicative of persisting high incidence of Covid-19 across the country.

“The virus spreads through close contacts, through the congregation of people. We need everyone to stay at home as much as possible, and to work from home, where possible,” he said.

“You should not meet up with friends or loved ones, unless you are caring for them.

“If you go out for exercise, you need to stay within 5km from your home, wear a face covering where appropriate and wash your hands when you return home to protect yourself from infection.

“If you are Covid positive, you should self-isolate and stay at home, in your room, avoiding contact with other people. This is to protect the other people that you live with.”

Deaths of people with Covid-19 are not reported in real time but may have occurred over a period of several days.

The number of deaths reported on a given day, therefore, does not necessarily mean that a person with Covid-19 died within the previous 24-hour period or even the preceding few days.

In the early days of the pandemic, the Chief Medical Officer urged families, despite the difficulty, to register their loved ones deaths as early as possible so that health officials could gain an accurate picture of mortality.

Essentially, there is a delay between when a person dies from Covid-19 and the National Public Health Emergency Team being informed of their passing.

With reporting from Cónal Thomas.