THERE HAVE BEEN a further 518 cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland, the Department of Health has said this evening.

No further deaths associated with the disease have been reported. 

This brings to 38,549 the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,810 deaths in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today:

• 252 are men / 266 are women
• 68% are under 45 years of age
• 30% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
• 78 cases have been identified as community transmission
• 134 were identified in Dublin, 53 in Cork, 49 in Limerick, 34 in Donegal, 32 in Meath and the remaining 216 cases are spread across 20 counties.

Dr Tony Holohan, the Chief Medical Officer said there has been a “significant and concerning deterioration in the epidemiological situation nationally” in recent days.  

“It is vital that we do everything in our power now to arrest the current trajectory nationally and very substantially suppress the virus back down to a low level of transmission in advance of the winter months,” he said in a statement.  

He said people should “not become distracted” from the core public health messages of good hand hygiene, wearing face coverings, avoided crowds, reducing social contacts and contacting your GP immediately if you experience symptoms. 

Dr Ronan Glynn, the deputy Chief Medical Officer said: “Our core priorities have to be protected. We must work together to keep our non-Covid health services open, keep our children in education and protect the lives of the most vulnerable to this disease.” 

Glynn, who was standing in as Chief Medical Officer until Holohan’s return at the weekend, added that solidarity is “now more important than ever” in working to suppress the virus. 

The government is this evening expected to announce that the entire country will enter Level 3 of Covid-19 restrictions. 

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) yesterday recommended that the country move into Level 5, the highest level of restrictions. 

A public announcement is expected to later today.