There have been a further seven Coronavirus-related deaths and a massive 4,962 new cases, according to figures released by the health authorities this evening.
Of the new cases announced today, 40 of them are in Laois, meaning the county’s 14-day incidence rate goes to 406.2 up from 381.4 yesterday. There are now 344 confirmed active cases in the county compared to 323 yesterday.
The national incidence rate is now at 469.8, compared to 381.6 yesterday.
Of the cases notified today:
- 2,408 are men/2,539 are women
- 63% are under 45 years of age
- The median age is 36 years old
- 1,260 cases are in Dublin, 652 in Limerick, 350 in Cork, 321 in Louth, 238 in Meath and 2,141 spread across all remaining counties.
As of 2pm today, 685 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 62 are in ICU. 96 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “This is a critical time. We are seeing a really significant surge in infection, which is leading to a very rapid increase in both hospitalisations and admissions to critical care units.
“This is not only unsustainable for the healthcare system, but also a deeply concerning level of preventable sickness and suffering that we must work together to address as quickly as possible.”
“The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has more than doubled from this day last week, and so has the number of people in ICU.
“Remember that behind each hospital statistic and ICU figure is a real person like you, with a family who cares about them, and a team of healthcare workers dedicated to protecting their lives. We must be as dedicated as we all were in the spring in our commitment to following the public health advice.”
“Act as though you are infectious. Stay at home. Work from home starting from tomorrow, and if you are an employer, ask your employees to work at home. What we all do at a collective level today will have a direct impact on the level of infection and hospitalisations in the weeks to come.
“Your safe actions now will protect our hospitals and those who work so hard in them. Simply put: when you stay at home, you protect the frontline healthcare workers who have worked tirelessly to keep us all safe throughout this pandemic. Hold firm and remember them.”
