THE DEPARTMENT OF Health has reported a further 429 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 recorded today.

Additionally, one more person with Covid-19 has died, according to a statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

The death toll from Covid-19 now stands at 2,124, with a total of 76,185 confirmed cases of the virus since the pandemic began.

The 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population now stands at 84.3 across Ireland.

Of the cases notified today;

• 198 are men / 230 are women
• 66% are under 45 years of age
• The median age is 34 years old

122 cases today were reported in Dublin, with 46 in Donegal, 30 in Limerick, 22 in Laois, 20 in Cork and the remaining 189 cases spread across all other counties.

As of 2pm this afternoon, there are 193 patients in hospital with Covid-19, 31 of which are being treated in ICU. There have been an additional 13 hospitalization in the last 24 hours.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan says that he is concerned that the incidence of the virus is beginning to rise again.

“Today, I am concerned that we are seeing the incidence of COVID-19 rising again. 429 is a large number of cases by the standard of recent weeks and the five-day moving average has now increased above 300 per day,” said Dr Holohan.

Our efforts in Level 5 in recent weeks brought the 14-day incidence rate down to 78 per 100,000 population, put us in a position of having the lowest disease incidence in Europe and ultimately protected many people and saved many lives.

“Take today’s figures as a sign that we all must now reduce our social contacts, limit our interactions with those outside our households, weigh the risks of what socialising we are planning over the next two weeks, so that we can all have as safe a Christmas as possible.”