HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE confirmed that three further people have died with Covid-19 in Ireland. 

It means the number of people in this country with coronavirus who have sadly died now stands at 1,781.

The National Public Health Emergency Team has also said that a further 84 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed, bringing the total number of cases in Ireland to 30,164.

Of the cases notified today:

• 32 are men, 52 are women
• 66% are under 45 years of age
• 30% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
• 8 cases have been identified as community transmission
• 51 cases are in Dublin, 6 are in Offaly, 5 are in Kildare and the remaining 22 cases are located in Cork, Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon, Tipperary, Westmeath and Wicklow

The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

“We continue to see a concerning pattern of cases, particularly in Dublin. Transmission is diffuse across the county, is in all age groups and is mainly being driven by social interaction within and between households,” Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said.

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: “While the reproduction number for Ireland as a whole is close to 1.0, the reproduction number for Dublin alone is approximately 1.4.

“We are seeing increasing case numbers in Dublin, growing close to 5% per day. If this were to continue, the number of cases would double every 14 days.

“Given the size of Dublin’s population it is essential we prevent any further spread now – by limiting our social contacts and taking precautions during any essential contacts.”

With reporting by Stephen McDermott at the Department of Health