A FURTHER 1,296 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland, figures released by the National Public Health Emergency Team this evening show.

Health officials also confirmed that a further six people with Covid-19 have died.

There have now been 2,200 deaths in Ireland linked with Covid-19, along with 85,394 cases of the virus.

The number of new cases reported today is the highest amount of Covid-19 infections reported in a single day in the Republic of Ireland, surpassing the previous record of 1,276 on 17 October.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan expressed concern that the number of new cases was more than 1,000 for the second day in a row.

“Within a few short weeks of easing measures at the beginning of December, we have now returned to the very high levels of Covid-19 circulating in the community that we have not seen since the peak of wave two of this disease,” he said.

“While today is a positive day with the arrival of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty, it does not mean that we can relax our adherence to public health measures.”

Holohan urged the public to stay at home and avoid social contact where possible, including visiting friends and family and inviting visitors to one’s home.

He added: “Our adherence to public health advice will remain our best defence against this disease and help us protect our vulnerable loved ones from the effects of Covid-19.”