Highest number of cases recorded on a Sunday since May

Dublin, which accounted for 133 of the 231 cases on Saturday, saw a further 68 reported on Sunday.  File picture: David Clarke

Almost 360 new cases of Covid-19 were reported over the weekend, the highest weekend figure since early May.

That included some 231 cases reported by health officials on Saturday, prompting warnings that people in Dublin, in particular, should limit their social contacts, and a further 138 reported on Sunday.

There is now a total of 29,672 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

There were no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. In total, there have been 1,777 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.

There are currently 49 patients in hospital due to Covid-19, and six people are in intensive care units.

More than two-thirds of the new cases are under 45 years of age, and 39% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case, and 23 cases have been identified as community transmission.  

Dublin, which accounted for 133 of the 231 cases on Saturday, saw a further 68 reported on Sunday. 

A further 13 were in Limerick, nine in both Galway and Kildare, and five each in Cork, Wexford, and Wicklow. 

The remaining 24 cases were spread out between Carlow, Clare, Donegal, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Meath, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary, Waterford, and Westmeath.

The seven-day average for new cases in Ireland is now 132, up from 115 the previous week.

There have also been a further 106 cases of Covid-19 in the North today, according to their Department of Health.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has also reported that the 14-day incidence of Covid-19 in Ireland, per 100,000 people, has increased.

Ireland incidence rate fairs well among other EU states 

Our incidence rate now sits at 33.2. However, we are faring much better than Spain or France, whose 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 is 240.6 and 118.9 respectively. 

Croatia and Malta have the next highest incidence rate in the EU, with 94.2 and 88.5 cases per 100,000.

France has also reported its highest-ever number of cases on Saturday, with 8,975 new cases being recorded, more than 1,000 higher than its previous record from March 31.

France has placed seven regions on high alert for Covid-19 while in Australia, Melbourne's lockdown has been extended for another two weeks after previous measures failed to have the desired impact.

Meanwhile, the former director general of the HSE has said the Irish health system is facing into an extremely tough winter.

Speaking to RTÉ, Tony O'Brien said that any big increase in the number of hospitalisations or ICU admissions could cause the health system to come under serious pressure.