7,956 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland

4,335 of today's new cases were confirmed via PCR testing. File Picture: Ben Birchall/PA

A further 7,956 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed this evening by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). 

4,335 of the cases were confirmed via PCR testing, while the remaining 3,621 were recorded through positive antigen test results registered on the HSE's portal on Thursday. 

As of 8am this morning, there were 629 Covid-19 patients hospitalised, an increase of 19 on yesterday's total. 

Of these patients, 53 were being treated in intensive care, down two from Thursday.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, twenty-one deaths linked to Covid-19  have been recorded in the latest weekly update.

The figure represents a decrease of 13 fatalities on the 34 deaths that occurred in the previous week, according to data compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

The latest deaths, registered in the week ending February 18, take the total number of coronavirus-linked fatalities recorded by Nisra to 4,275.

The Nisra figure is drawn from different data sources and is always higher than the Department of Health’s total, as it provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19.

On February 18, the department had reported 3,177 deaths.

The department’s statistics focus primarily on hospital deaths and only include people who have tested positive for the virus.