LAST UPDATE | 4 Apr 2020

A FURTHER 17 patients diagnosed with Covid-19 virus have died in the Republic of Ireland, health officials confirmed this evening. 

A further 331 new cases were also confirmed, bringing the total number of confirmed cases here to 4,604. 

A total of 1,118 people have been hospitalised due to the illness, representing 28% of the number of confirmed cases. Of those hospitalised, 158 people were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Here are today’s main points:

• Another 17 people have died from Covid-19 in Ireland, bringing the death toll here to 137.
• The number of people who have died in Northern Ireland after contracting coronavirus has risen by eight to 56. Testing has resulted in 94 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the North to 998. 
• This afternoon, Minister for Health Simon Harris announced new measures aimed at supporting people in nursing homes during the current crisis after 40 clusters were identified across the country
• The HSE has said that some of the PPE shipped to Ireland to be distributed to healthcare workers “is not appropriate” to use.
• The government has been criticised over a number of new schemes announced yesterday in response to the impact of the coronavirus crisis on artists. 
• Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has said that the coronavirus “should not be used as an excuse” to stop separated parents seeing their children. He said court orders in relation to child access remain in place. 
• An online fundraising campaign to bring Irish medical professionals home to join the frontline fight against Covid-19 welcomed its first three arrivals today.

Here are the main Covid-19 points from abroad:

• Spain has recorded a second successive daily drop in coronavirus-related deaths with 809 fatalities, according to official figures published this morning. 
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has written to the leaders of the opposition parties in Westminster inviting them to a briefing next week and insisting “we have a duty to work together at this moment of national emergency”.
• Boris Johnson’s pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds has said she is “on the mend” after suffering coronavirus symptoms.
• The UK has reported another 708 more deaths from Covid-19 in a new daily high, as the number of confirmed cases rose to nearly 42,000. 
• US President Donald Trump has announced new federal guidelines recommending that Americans wear face coverings in public to help fight the spread of coronavirus. 
• New York State’s coronavirus toll rose at a devastating pace to 3,565 deaths today, the governor said, up from 2,935 the previous day, the largest 24-hour jump recorded there.
• China has held a three-minute reflection to honour those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak. 
• Italy saw its first drop in the number of patients receiving intensive care treatment for the coronavirus today. Civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli called the drop from 4,068 on Friday to 3,994 on Saturday in the number of critical patients an important moment in Italy’s battle against Covid-19. 
• Two cruise liners embroiled in a bitter dispute over coronavirus cases onboard has begun letting passengers disembark in Florida.
• Hungary has said that multinational firms, banks, political parties and local councils must pay up to combat the economic fallout of the novel coronavirus.
• Turkey’s death toll from coronavirus topped 500, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on today, while the number of cases reached nearly 24,000. 
• American singer Pink has confirmed that she is recovering after testing positive for the coronavirus and says she’s donating $1 million to emergency funds.