Public health officials appeal for 'safe Easter' as 18 more deaths and 761 new cases reported
In a joint statement with the chief medical officer for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride, Dr Ronan Glynn is asking the public to avoid traditional Easter traditions, such as spending time with family and loved ones.
The Deputy Chief Medical Officer has appealed to the public across Ireland to continue following public health advice to ensure people can have a safe Easter.
In a joint statement with Dr Michael McBride, chief medical officer for Northern Ireland, Dr Ronan Glynn is asking the public to avoid traditional Easter traditions, such as spending time with family and loved ones.
Their appeal comes as 18 further Covid-19-related deaths are reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet).
Another 761 cases of the virus were also confirmed by Nphet in the last 24-hour reporting period.
The latest figures from the Department of Health brings the total number of cases to 236,600 and the total death toll to 4,705.
The public health officials say: “People in all corners of Ireland have continued to follow the public health advice by quietly taking all the appropriate actions to protect all of us from this disease.
"Most people are making a huge sacrifice and missing time with loved ones in order for us to stay on course with the public health guidance.
“We must ask that, once again, we work together to prevent a further wave of infection by celebrating this Easter safely."
Of the deaths notified this evening, 11 of these occurred in March, and seven occurred in February.
The median age of those who died was 81 years and the age range was 59-95 years.
As of Thursday morning, 274 coronavirus patients were in hospital, of whom 63 were in ICU.
There were 18 additional hospital admissions in the previous 24 hours.
As of March 29, a total of 819,676 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland. Some 590,688 people have received their first dose, while 228,988 people have received two doses.
While the vaccine promises to bring "much brighter days ahead" the two Dr Glynn and Dr McBride say we must not give Covid-19 the opportunity to spread over the long weekend.
“We have already seen the clear bonus that vaccinations are bringing with cases and deaths in nursing homes and hospitals and cases amongst healthcare workers falling dramatically across the island.
"There are much brighter days ahead."
The five-day moving average of cases now stands at 536, while the 14-day incidence of the virus per 100,000 population is now at 164.9.
Offaly continues to have the highest county incidence rate, followed by Donegal.
Of the new cases, 372 are in Dublin, 55 in Meath, 43 in Cork, 40 in Kildare, 38 in Offaly, and the remaining 213 cases are spread across 19 other counties.
Of the cases notified today, 383 are men and 373 are women. 72% are under 45 years of age, and the median age is 33-years-old.
