19,290 new cases with up to half a million likely to have had Covid last week

Dr Tony Holohan said that as of January 5, the incidence rate per 100,000 population is 4,450, which compares to 2,342 a week earlier. File picture: Collins 

Up to 500,000 people may have been infected with Covid-19 last week, the Chief Medical Officer has said.

In a letter to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly that was sent last Thursday, Dr Tony Holohan said that the likely population prevalence of active Covid-19 infection was between 5.7% and 9.6%, with this meaning between one in 10 and one in 20 of the population were likely to have been infected.