THE DEPARTMENT OF Health has confirmed a further 31 people diagnosed with Covid-19 have died in Ireland.

At the briefing this evening, 376 new cases of the coronavirus were also confirmed, bringing the total so far to 20,253.

The death toll in Ireland now stands at 1,190. Department of Health officials said this evening that 697 deaths to date are associated with long-term residential facilities including 593 people dying in nursing homes. 

The new deaths include ‘probable’ cases, where individuals who died, where a lab test has not confirmed they were positive for Covid-19 but where a doctor suspects they may have had the disease. 

As of Monday evening, 58% of those confirmed to have Covid-19 here were female and 42% were male. The median age of cases is 49 years.

In all, 2,669 cases (13%) have been hospitalised with 355 cases admitted to an intensive care unit. At present, 129 people remain in intensive care. 

Healthcare workers account for 5,568 cases.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said this evening that it’s estimated that 64% or 12,222 cases confirmed within communities – as of Saturday 25 April – have recovered. A further 1,164 cases (6%) have been discharged from hospital giving a total recovery rate of 70%. 

He also confirmed this evening that another person in the 18-24 age range has died from Covid-19 in Ireland, meaning two people within that age range have died.

Dr Kathleen MacLellan, Assistant Secretary Department of Health and Chair of NPHET Vulnerable People Subgroup, said: “Ireland remains one of the few countries globally who has collected and officially reported data from long term residential care settings from the start of the pandemic.

From the end of March we have seen an increase in deaths in this sector that can be attributed to Covid-19. As we continue to collect and report mortality data coming from this sector we will have a greater understanding of the behaviour of the disease in this setting and it will help us to inform public health actions and clinical care.

Earlier today Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the number of patients in ICU with Covid-19 is not low enough to ease restrictions on 5 May. He said he will, in the coming days, publicly share the plan he has on how Ireland will reopen.

“What that plan will do is set out the different steps, a step-wise plan if you like, as to how we can reopen the country, and reopen our society based on different intervals,” he said.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) will meet on Friday to consider when that process should start. 

With reporting from Michelle Hennessy at the Department of Health