LAST UPDATE | 22 Jun 2020

HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE this evening confirmed that another two patients in Ireland diagnosed with Covid-19 have died. 

It means that the number of people in this country with the coronavirus who have sadly died remains at 1,717.  

The National Public Health Emergency Team has also said that a further four cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed, bringing the total in this country to 25,383.

Internationally, British Prime Minister is to discuss reopening the hospitality sector and loosening the two-metre social-distancing rule in England with his top Cabinet colleagues and scientists.

Here are today’s Covid-19 main points: 

• Health officials confirmed this evening that a further two people with Covid-19 have died in Ireland and there are four new confirmed cases. 
• Over a third of new confirmed cases over the last 14 days were in young people under the age of 35. 
• New research indicates 41% of people are wearing face coverings in public. 
• The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has said there was a drop of over 32,000 recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in the last week. There are now 465,900 people receiving the payment.
• There is some confusion about whether an order for personal protective equipment (PPE) was made by the Northern Ireland Executive with the Irish government in early March.
• Homeless organisations and charities are warning of a potential ‘second wave’ of homelessness in the months to come if the necessary measures aren’t put in place by the government and local authorities.
• The FAI have suspended their Covid-19 testing programme of players and staff at the four League of Ireland clubs preparing for European competition. 

Here are today’s international Covid-19 main points: 

• The World Health Organization has said that the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases globally occurred at the weekend, with 183,000 new recorded cases in 24 hours. 
• The WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today it’s clear “the pandemic is still accelerating“. 
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will discuss reopening the hospitality sector and loosening the two-metre social-distancing rule in England with his top Cabinet colleagues and scientists.
• The UK government is piloting a coronavirus saliva test that could become an alternative to the existing invasive, and sometimes painful, deep nasal and throat swab.
• Brazil has registered its 50,000th death from the Covid-19 outbreak.
• In Germany, the important R number of Covid-19 cases has risen to 2.88. 
• Pakistan has re-opened for business despite a surge of Covid-19 cases.
• No new coronavirus deaths have been registered in Scotland in the last 24 hours, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.