44 more people have died after contracting COVID-19 in the Republic.
The death toll across the country now stands at 530. 33 deaths are located in the east, 3 in the north-west, 3 in the south and 5 in the west of the country.
The deaths included 19 females and 25 males. The median age of today’s reported deaths is 84 while 25 people were reported as having underlying health conditions.
In the past 24 hours, 702 new cases have been detected, including 112 from swabs sent to German labs.
The total number of positive tests now stands at 13,980.
As of midnight on Wednesday there were 102 cases in Waterford, that's an increase of 1 since Tuesday.
The most recent update from the HSE showed nine people with Coronavirus were being treated at University Hospital Waterford as of 8 pm last night
The HSE also confirmed that one person was in intensive care. Elsewhere in the hospital, there were five patients suspected of having coronavirus. That's down from 13 on Wednesday night.
The National Public Health Emergency Team met today to continue its ongoing review of Ireland’s response to COVID-19.
Decisions from this meeting include:
· To expand testing capacity to 100,000 tests per week operating on a seven-day week basis for a minimum of six months
· Over the course of the next 7-10 days, testing of staff and residents in all Long-Term Residential Care (LTRC) facilities to be prioritised
· A census of mortality across all LTRC facilities to be carried out this weekend to cover all deaths, COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 since 1st January 2020, regardless of where the death occurred
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “At today’s meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team, we endorsed a proposal to increase testing of staff and residents across all long-term residential care settings including nursing homes. The behaviour of the virus among vulnerable groups who live in these care settings continues to be a concern and this remains a priority for NPHET.
“While we are suppressing the disease among the general public, we cannot afford to become complacent. To remain safe from COVID-19 we need to continue to wash our hands thoroughly and regularly, cough into our elbows and practice social distancing. These simple measures can slow down the spread of this virus and save lives.”
Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said: “Each COVID-19 death reported is a tragedy. This is an incurable illness and while 80% of the population will experience a mild form of the disease, our older and more vulnerable people are at a much greater risk due to the behaviour of this disease within this group.”
