31% of all Irish Covid cases recorded in last 7 days with 45,770 positive results

A further 6,888 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed by officials at the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC) this evening.

A total of 147,613 cases has been recorded in Ireland since the beginning of the pandemic, 45,770 of those in the last week alone.

This equates to 31% of all Irish Covid cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Department of Health has also confirmed a further eight coronavirus related deaths, bring the total number of people who have passed away with Covid-19 to 2,344.

There are 1,452 people currently in Irish hospitals with the virus - 125 of whom are in intensive care units (ICUs). There were 100 new hospitalisations recorded in the last 24 hours.

The national 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population now stands at 1291.2.

Of the 6,888 cases notified today, the largest portion is located in Dublin with 2,088 cases in the capital.

This is followed by 862 in Cork, 469 in Limerick, 405 in Wexford and 320 in Waterford. The remaining 2,744 cases are spread across all other counties.

Of today's cases, 3,252 are men and 3,595 are women and 60% of cases are people under 45 years of age.

The median age of positivity is 38-years-old.

 

NORTHERN IRELAND

A further 17 people have died of coronavirus in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health confirmed.

Another 1,112 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.

People walking past the 2 metre social distancing sign on the Comber Greenway off Abbey Road in east Belfast, after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.

Two of the deaths reported occurred outside of the period.

It brings the total number of people who died of the virus to 1,460 and the total confirmed cases to 88,700 since the pandemic began.

Northern Ireland’s health system is under severe pressure – hospitals are almost at full capacity and cancer surgery procedures are among the operations cancelled in Belfast.

 

HOSPITALS

Ireland’s health system is under “increasing strain” with a record 1,421 coronavirus patients being treated in hospitals, the HSE chief has warned.

Paul Reid said the best support the public can now give to health workers is to avoid getting sick with Covid-19.

Paul Reid said the best support the public can now give to health workers is to avoid getting sick with Covid-19.

Mr Reid said: “There’s now 1,421 people in hospital with #Covid19 (+136 today) & 120 in ICU.

“Our health system is under increasing strain. The best support we can all now give, is to avoid getting sick with Covid.

“This will help to get us out the other side of this.”