HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE confirmed a further 254 cases of coronavirus in Ireland, with three new deaths reported.

In a statement this evening, the Department of Health said that there have now been a total of 31,797 confirmed cases in this country, and 1,780 Covid-19 related deaths.

A total of 136 cases were recorded in Dublin. The county has seen a considerable increase in the number of people infected with Covid-19 in recent weeks. 

Of the cases today:

• 115 are men / 133 are women
• 65% are under 45 years of age
• 61% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
• 24 cases have been identified as community transmission
• 136 in Dublin, 20 in Donegal, 13 in Louth, 12 in Wicklow, 9 in Waterford, 7 Carlow, 7 in Cork, 6 in Galway, 5 in Kerry, 5 in Wexford and the remaining 28 cases are located in Clare, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon and Westmeath.

Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn said: “The current situation has deteriorated both in Dublin and nationally over the past week. Along with Dublin we have seen particularly concerning trends in Louth, Waterford and Donegal. It is now absolutely essential that people action public health advice and act as if they or those close to them are potentially infectious.”