A further 77 deaths of Covid-19 patients were reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) this evening (Saturday).
NPHET also reported 1,910 further cases of the disease, bringing to 186,184 the total recorded to date.
Of the cases notified today 887 are men and 1,016 are women, 57 per cent are under 45 years of age while the median age is 40 years. A total of 710 were in Dublin, 150 in Cork, 103 in Meath, 102 in Limerick, 86 in Louth, and the remaining 759 cases are spread across all other counties.
There were 76 cases confirmed in Waterford. The incidence rate for the county is now 1,188.7 - the national average is 955.5.
As of 2pm today, 1,892 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 217 are in ICU. 59 additional Covid-19 cases have been reported in Irish hospitals in the last 24 hours.
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “Through the solidarity shown by families and communities across the country in recent weeks, we are beginning to flatten the curve of Covid-19 infection. Each individual effort to follow the public health advice is making an impact, but we can only continue this positive trend and drive down incidence in the community by continuing to stay at home and avoid meeting or mixing with others in our social circle, including for any close family gatherings, such as birthdays or funerals, as these can be ‘super-spreader’ events.
“We know it is possible to have Covid-19 without displaying symptoms, so we all need to behave as though we are infectious and minimise our close contacts with others. If you suspect that you might be ill, isolate away from others in your household, let your close contacts know and come forward for testing as soon as possible.”
