LAST UPDATE | 7 Jul 2020

THE DEPARTMENT OF Health has confirmed that one more patient has died as a result of Covid-19 in Ireland.  

The Department of Health also said that 24 new cases of the disease have been confirmed here.

There has now been a total of 1,742 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland with 25,538 confirmed cases. 

The HSE today launched its Covid-19 contact tracing app.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly this morning called it “a powerful tool” in combatting the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland.  

The app will record if a user is in close contact with another user by exchanging anonymous codes that are held on the users’ phones.

People who test positive for Covid-19 will be able to choose if they want to anonymously alert other app users who they have been in close contact with.

Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer said that, as of 5pm this evening, the app had around 545,000 downloads.

“This is one more example of the solidarity and collective spirit that has characterised the Irish public’s response to Covid-19 to date”, he said.

“The app is an important tool to support our contact tracing systems. It has the potential to reduce the time that people are active in the community with infection, which will have a significant impact on the transmission of the disease.

“The more people who download and use this app, the more effective it will be. It is a further opportunity for us to play our part in the response to Covid-19.”