A FURTHER 364 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland, the Department of Health has said this evening.

In a statement, it said that there have been no further deaths as a result of the virus. The death toll from Covid-19 in Ireland is 1,810.

The total number of confirmed cases in Ireland is now 38,032.

Among the cases confirmed today, 100 are in Dublin, with 55 in Cork. A further 31 cases were confirmed in Donegal, alongside 24 in Limerick, 23 in Galway, 17 in Clare and 14 in Sligo. 

Thirteen have been confirmed in Roscommon, with 10 in Kerry, 8 in Tipperary, 8 in Wicklow, 7 in Kildare, 6 in Kilkenny and 6 in Offaly. 

Five cases were also confirmed in Cavan with 5 in Mayo, 5 in Meath and with the remaining 27 cases across nine counties. 

The Department of Health said that 195 cases are men and 168 are women. Of today’s cases, 74% are among people aged below 45, while 27% are linked to outbreaks or are close contacts of confirmed cases. 

Forty-two cases have been identified as community transmission. 

Yesterday, 614 new cases of the virus were confirmed in Ireland. Public health officials have urged people to reduce the number of contacts they have each week to try to break the chains of transmission and reduce the spread of Covid-19. 

According to the Health Protection and Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the national incidence of confirmed cases per 100,000 population is now above 100. 

The National Public Health Emergency team met earlier this evening to discuss the current situation facing the country. 

Government sources indicated that Cabinet is still set to meet on Tuesday, as scheduled. 

Earlier today, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly praised acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn ahead of Dr Tony Holohan’s return to his role as chief medical officer. 

“There have been many early mornings and late nights in the office as tough decisions were made and Ronan has an absolute pleasure to work with throughout,” Donnelly said.

“It will be of huge benefit to us all to have the expertise of [Dr Holohan] and [Dr Glynn] as we face into the challenging winter months. I look forward to working with them both. As always, our aim is to save lives, keep people healthy and protect our health service.”

Earlier, 462 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Northern Ireland, amid concerns that the North might be heading for more restrictive measures to suppress an alarming rise in cases. 

With reporting from Christina Finn, Dominic McGrath