A FURTHER 687 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has said this evening.

In a statement, it said that one further person with Covid-19 is confirmed to have died.

The death toll from Covid-19 in Ireland is 4,319, and the total number of confirmed cases is now at 220,273.

Of the cases notified today:

• 352 are men / 334 are female
• 71% are under 45 years of age
• The median age is 30 years old

A total of 278 of the cases are spread across 19 counties, 240 of the cases are in Dublin, 49 in Limerick, 44 in Offaly, 40 in Galway and 36 in Louth.

As of 8am today, 540 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 120 are in ICU. There have been 14 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

The latest figures from the HSE show that 426,070 doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been administered in Ireland by last Friday.

• 285,780 people have received their first dose
• 140,290 people have received their second dose 

“While the number of daily cases and the number of people in hospital and critical care remain high, we continue to make progress,” Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, the Department of Health said.

In the last 24 hours, we have had no new admissions to critical care, the first time this has happened since St Stephen’s Day.

“This is one more tangible signal of the efforts that people continue to make and how those efforts are impacting positively on the trajectory of COVID-19 in Ireland. Please stick with this over the coming weeks.”

Professor Pete Lunn, Head of the Behavioural Research Unit, ESRI said that fresh data shows that while people are finding it tough going, the large majority (79%) believe that preventing the spread of Covid-19 is more important than the burden of restrictions. Just 10% disagree.

“This pattern helps to explain how measures of compliance have been rising in recent weeks and months, despite the frustrations that people feel,” he said.

“Just because we feel a particular way, does not mean that this feeling dictates our behaviour. Rather, the large majority of people in Ireland support the restrictions and are sticking to them, despite the frustrations,” he added. 

The data also show systematic misperceptions about socially activity. Presently, half the adult population does not meet up with anyone outside their household over a 48-hour period, with less than one quarter meeting up with three or more. Yet these more socially active people believe that they are meeting fewer people than average. 

“There is a clear misperception. Most people believe that others are enjoying more of a social life than they are. Those who are in fact most socially active do not realise this. The finding is important, and we need to try to correct this misperception. When people appreciate effort being made by others, they typically become more likely to follow,” Professor Lunn said.