A FURTHER 418 cases of Covid-19 have been reported by public health officials this evening.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) also confirmed that seven more people with Covid-19 have died.

The median age of those who died was 82 years and the age range was 67-92 years.

This now brings the total Covid-19 death toll in Ireland to 4,915 and the total number of confirmed cases to 251,087.

Of the cases notified today:

• 199 are men/214 are women
• 73% are under 45 years of age
• The median age is 30 years old
• 167 in Dublin, 39 in Cork, 32 in Donegal, 29 in Kildare, 22 in Meath and the remaining 129 cases are spread across 20 other counties

As of 8am today, 137 Covid patients are hospitalised, of which 37 are in ICU. There were 18 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, said: “As we look forward to the greater reopening of activities and services, our key objective now is to maintain our course in coming weeks and follow the public health advice in our daily activities.

“When you are planning to meet someone, remember that outdoors is safer for everybody. And when you meet up, stay at a 2m distance, keep to a small group and avoid crowded areas – this will minimise the risk of passing the virus from person to person, driving down the incidence rate and keeping our society open.

“Throughout this pandemic we have seen outbreaks and clusters of disease as a result of social events such as funerals, wakes and birthday parties. Unfortunately, we need to continue to stay vigilant to the infectious nature of this disease and avoid congregating together in large groups. We need all sectors of society to continue to encourage and support the public health messages and to help everyone to stay safe.”