By Tomas Doherty
Sixteen further deaths and 270 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the Republic.
Of the deaths reported today, 14 occurred in November, one in October and one remains under investigation.
11 of today's cases are in Waterford and the incidence rate of Covid-19 in Waterford is now 130 per 100,000 of the population.
There has now been a total of 1,963 coronavirus-related deaths in the State.
Of the new cases, 56 per cent are in people aged under 45, with 82 cases located in Dublin, 21 in Donegal, 18 in Roscommon, 17 in Limerick, 17 in Tipperary and the remaining 115 cases spread across all other counties in the Republic.
Some 282 Covid-19 patients are in hospital, with 40 in intensive case. There were 21 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.
Counties Donegal and Limerick have the highest infection rates in the State.
In Donegal, the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population is 284.6. In Limerick, it now stands at 209.3. The lowest rate is in Leitrim at 37.4.
The latest data shows the infection rate in Dublin for the past two weeks is at 162.6 cases per 100,000 people, above the national rate of 151.5.
Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, said: “The significant improvement in the profile of the disease is encouraging: the 14-day incidence of 152 cases per 100,000 is down by 51% compared to the previous two weeks.
“To maintain this positive trajectory, we need to remain vigilant to the highly infectious nature of this virus, which can easily spread from person to person through close contact and by social mixing.
“Our individual everyday choices to stay at home and keep our contacts to a minimum are vital to driving down the spread of Covid-19.”
Meanwhile, 11 more deaths were reported in the North on Tuesday. A further 514 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the region.
There is deadlock within the Stormont Executive on whether to extend, amend or relax the current four-week circuit-break measures, which expire at midnight on Thursday.
Ministers are due to meet again later on Tuesday after discussions on Monday failed to secure a breakthrough.
