HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE confirmed that one further person with Covid-19 has died in Ireland.  

A further 85 new cases have been reported, bringing the total number of cases in this country to 26,027. There have been a total of 1,763 deaths related to coronavirus.

Health officials said that 68% of all the cases confirmed today are among people under the age of 45. 

Of the cases confirmed today, 53 are men and 32 are women. 

Twenty six of the new cases are located in Kildare, while 18 are in Dublin. Eleven are in Clare, with nine in Laois and seven in Limerick. Four were reported in Meath, with the rest spread across seven other counties.

Health officials said that 39% of today’s cases are associated with close contacts of a confirmed case. Half are associated with Covid-19 outbreaks.

A significant number of cases are associated with a meat factory in Naas, Kildare.

The latest figures from NPHET come after the HSE said earlier today there are currently just six patients with Covid-19 in Irish hospitals, down from a high of 879 at the peak of the crisis. 

In a statement, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said: “Today’s figures demonstrate how quickly Covid-19 can re-emerge in our country.”

“We are now at a crucial point in our response to Covid-19,” he said. “Over the coming days it is vital that everyone continues to avoid large crowds, physically distance, wear face coverings where appropriate and wash hands regularly.”

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of NPHET’s modelling group, also called for caution. 

“Over a two-day period Ireland moved from a relatively stable epidemiology to a significant pattern connected to outbreaks. We now need to be really careful and adhere to public health advice so we do not further spread the virus,” he said.  

Briefing

This evening, Nolan told reporters that the country was facing a “rapid evolving situation”. 

Glynn stressed that the increase in cases was significant and said it may be a “blip” or a “sign of something more significant”. 

“Now is not the time for a knee-jerk reaction,” he said. But he warned that “people have forgotten the basic advice about physical distancing”. 

With reporting from Dominic McGrath