By Tomas Doherty
A further eight deaths and 2,121 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the Republic, the Department of Health said.
32 of this evening's cases are in Waterford bringing the total number of cases in the county over the past 14 days to 2,318.
It comes as the number of coronavirus patients in hospital continues to surge, with 2,032 now in hospitals across the State.
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said critical care surge plans have been activated.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly asked bosses at the Coombe hospital in Dublin for a “full account” after it emerged that Covid vaccinations were given to family members of staff.
The relatives of employees at the south Dublin hospital were vaccinated with doses left over from a batch.
A spokeswoman for the hospital said 16 doses of the vaccine were left after 1,100 frontline workers, including GPs and community health staff, were vaccinated.
Of the 16 recipients, nine were over 70 and the other seven were of varying ages. The hospital said the doses would have been thrown out if they had not been administered.
Later it emerged two family members of staff in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin also received leftover Covid vaccines that the maternity hospital said it feared would be wasted otherwise.
