There have been four further Coronavirus-related deaths and 434 new cases, according to figures released by the health authorities today.
With less than five new cases announced today, Laois now has a 14-day incidence rate of 49.6.
This is well below the national average of 129.7 and Laois now has the sixth lowest incidence rate in the country.
Of the cases notified today:
- 221 are men / 212 are women
- 80% are under 45 years of age
- The median age is 31 years old
- 197 in Dublin, 44 in Cork, 34 in Kildare, 20 in Limerick, 20 in Meath and the remaining 119 cases are spread across 16 other counties
As of 8am today, 126 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 34 are in ICU. 15 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
As of Wednesday 5th May, 1,700,538 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland:
- 1,233,067 people have received their first dose
- 467,471 people have received their second dose
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health said: “Next week we will see many more business open which means employees and customers will return to work and our economy will begin to restart in earnest.
“This is a very positive sign and a testament to the hard work of the vast majority in supressing incidence of disease in our communities.
“It is extremely important that business owners, employees and customers take great care and review safety protocols and practices and ensure to consider all the actions we can all take as individuals to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
“Only return to the workplace if it is necessary to do so. Continue to wear a mask, practice social distancing, good hand hygiene and cough etiquette. If you feel unsafe in a crowded environment feel empowered to turn around and go home.
“If you are a business owner or an an employer, remember that you have a duty of care to those that work for you. Reopening responsibly will help to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spreading amongst your staff in the workplace and ensure we all have the opportunity to enjoy the new social and economic activities available to us from May 10.”
Dr Ray Walley, General Practitioner said: “General practices are extremely busy at the moment dealing with COVID and non-COVID care as well as continuing to administer COVID-19 vaccines.
“GPs continue to administer COVID-19 vaccines as per the National Vaccination Programme, this means that those aged 70 and over and those that are clinically vulnerable between the ages of 50 – 59 are eligible to receive a vaccine from their GP.
“I would encourage anyone who has been called to register for their vaccine to do so on the HSE portal.”
The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community including daily data on Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.
