PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have confirmed that five more people have died with Covid-19 in Ireland.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has reported a further 527 cases of Covid-19.

The total number of people who have died now stands at 2,154, while the number of cases has reached 78,776.

Of the cases notified today:

• 271 are men and 255 are women
• 65% are under 45 years of age
• The median age is 37 years old
• 191 in Dublin, 54 in Cork, 44 in Donegal, 32 in Wexford, 27 in Kilkenny, and the remaining 179 cases are spread across 20 other counties.

As of 2pm today, 207 Covid-19  patients are hospitalised, with 28 in ICU.

12 additional hospitalisations were mad in the past 24 hours.

Validation of data by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has led to five cases that were previously confirmed being identified, which is reflected in the current standing total of 78,776.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has said that the “figures we are seeing across all key indicators of disease severity continue to give us strong reason for persistent, ongoing concern”.

“As we head into a week with uniquely risky inter-household and inter-generational mixing, please remember to act responsibly. Start this weekend. It is never too late to cut down your contacts, cancel plans, or avoid a crowd,” Dr Holohan said. 

“Bear in mind that you may well be the link in a chain of transmission that ends with a vulnerable loved one catching this dangerous disease. Stop that chain of transmission now – limit your movements today,” he said. 

The national 14-day incidence rate currently stands at 102.4 cases per 100,000 people.

The incidence rate is at its worst in Donegal, where there are 250 cases per 100,000, and is least severe in Leitrim at 25 per 100,000.

The 14-day incidence rate in Dublin in 112.6 per 100,000.

Chief executive of the HSE Paul Reid has said that he is confident Ireland will return to ‘normality’ after the pandemic is over.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Reid said that “Ireland as a society is one that values engagements and values family and values our interactions with people and I think that’s something you can’t throw out”.

Earlier today, Northern Ireland confirmed a further 640 Covid-19 cases and seventeen deaths.

A six-week lockdown is to begin in the North from 26 December, with non-essential retail and close-contact services to shut.