PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have confirmed a further 1,283 cases of Covid-19 in Ireland this afternoon.

The standing total of confirmed cases since the first outbreak of the virus here has reached 49,962.

The Department of Health has reported an additional three deaths today, bringing the total number of people who have died to 1,852.

The national 14-day incidence rate as of midnight is now 251 per 100,000.

Of today’s cases, 651 are among women and 628 are among men, with 68% in people under the age of 45.

The median age of people with a case confirmed in today’s update is 31.

The highest number of cases confirmed today was in Dublin, where 408 new cases have been reported.

156 cases were confirmed in Cork, 88 in Kildare, 80 in Meath, 55 in Limerick and the remaining 496 cases are spread across the other 21 counties.

As of 2pm, 277 patients with Covid-19 are hospitalised, of which 33 are in ICU. 17 additional hospitalizations were made in the last 24 hours.

 An announcement on tighter restrictions is expected tomorrow as the Cabinet meets to make a decision on its response to the rising incidence of Covid-19.

Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said that the government will take “decisive” action tomorrow to bring in new restrictions, and that any action taken will be implemented nationwide. 

Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week in Politics, Harris said that “I want people to know that the government will act tomorrow. The action will be decisive.”

“It’s clear now that the virus is at such a level within all our communities that the county-by-county approach is not sufficient,” Harris said.

Yesterday, the three coalition party leaders, along with the Ministers for Health, Finance, and Public Expenditure, met to discuss whether Ireland should adopt Level 5 restrictions following a recommendation from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

NPHET is advising the government for the second time in two weeks to move Ireland to Level 5 restrictions to curb the increasing spread of the virus. 

If NPHET’s advice was fully implemented, Level 5 restrictions would be imposed for a six week period.

However, it is understood that there is an inclination in the government to impose Level 4 restrictions with some modifications to effectively bring limitations between Level 4 and Level 5.

An official decision will only be made by the full Cabinet, which is due to meet tomorrow.