A FURTHER 227 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland, the National Public Health Emergency Team has said this evening.

In a statement, it said that a further 5 people confirmed to have Covid-19 have died.

The death toll from Covid-19 in Ireland is 2,102, and the total number of confirmed cases is now at 74,900*.

Ireland’s 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population is 79.5 cases. Nine counties are above that national incidence rate: Donegal (227), Kilkenny (192), Louth (154), Limerick (136), Monaghan (124), Carlow (121), Wicklow (114), Dublin (94), and Tipperary (80).

As of 2pm today, there were 224 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 38 are in ICU. There have been 14 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

Of the cases notified today:

• 98 are men, and 129 are women
• 64% are under 45 years of age
• The median age is 37 years old
• 70 in Dublin, 26 in Donegal, 19 in Limerick,14 in Louth, 14 in Kilkenny and the remaining 84 cases are spread across 17 other counties.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “Today we have seen 8 new admissions to ICU, the most in a 24 hour period since the spring time.”

“Ireland has managed to suppress Covid-19 to the lowest incidence levels in the EU in recent weeks. We have managed to keep up our safe behaviours and worked to protect each other throughout the pandemic.

If we do not continue to suppress the disease through the actions we have learned over recent months, we will very quickly see a surge in infections leading to an increase in hospitalisations, ICU admissions and, tragically, deaths.

“We are actively planning to begin vaccinating people in early 2021. We cannot afford to drop our guard now.”

Yesterday, the government unveiled its provisional list of prioritisation for a Covid-19 vaccine. Top of the list are care home residents over the age of 65, frontline healthcare workers and people over the age of 70. 

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*Validation of data at the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of nine confirmed case.

With reporting from Gráinne Ní Aodha