6,735 new Covid-19 cases confirmed as testing positivity rate hits 49.7%

Pictured are members of the public queuing outside Richmond Barracks in Dublin on Christmas Eve, as the clinic continued to roll out booster vaccinations just one day before Christmas. Photograph: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

A further 6,735 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland, as almost half of the coronavirus swabs reported on Sunday returned a positive result.

According to the Covid-19 GeoHive, of the 13,149 swabs administered yesterday, 6,735 returned a positive test result - a positivity rate of 49.7%,