LAST UPDATE | 7 May 2020

HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE confirmed that a further 29 people have died from Covid-19 in Ireland, bringing the total death toll to 1,404.

A further 137 cases of Covid-19 have also been confirmed here, bringing the total number of cases to 22,385.

During today’s briefing, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said: “We have achieved our goal of suppressing the spread of the disease, it was not easy for anyone but there is no question that our collective effort has saved lives.”

Meanwhile, speculation is mounting that the Leaving Cert exams will be cancelled. 

Internationally, health experts have expressed growing concern that a second wave of Covid-19 deaths and infections could force governments to bring in more restrictions, even as China declared its risk level is low and New Zealand relaxed its pandemic shutdown.

Here are today’s Covid-19 main points:

• A further 29 people have died from Covid-19 in Ireland with 137 further cases also confirmed.
• The Cabinet is reportedly set to cancel the Leaving Cert exams and replace them with an alternative assessment model. 
• Twenty-six people in a nursing home in Louth have died from Covid-19, according to a Sinn Féin TD. 
• Half of the patients admitted to intensive care units with Covid-19 had chronic heart disease, with other underlying illnesses also detailed. 
• The Department of Health has confirmed an error in a report published last Friday which recorded a death from coronavirus in a nursing home occurring as early as mid-February – weeks earlier than the first death here was reported.
• Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told the Dáil that the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment will be extended beyond June.
• Childcare workers have been told they won’t receive insurance cover for Covid-19-related claims if they take part in the government scheme to provide childcare for the children of healthcare workers.  
• Health Minister Simon Harris has thanked the 160 healthcare workers who live in Direct Provision for their work during the pandemic; there have been 164 confirmed cases of Covid-19 among residents in DP centres to date.
• An ESRI study has found that more than half of minimum wage employees in Ireland work in the retail, accommodation and food sectors, which have each experienced widespread closures.
• Enterprise Ireland today announced that it will administer a specific fund for small enterprises.  
• The AGSI has expressed disappointment that that garda sergeants and inspectors won’t get priority testing. 
• The father of Aslan singer Christy Dignam has died after recently contracting Covid-19.
• Willie Walsh is delaying his retirement as CEO of the International Airlines Group as the Aer Lingus owner announced a quarterly after-tax loss of €1.68 billion.
• The organisers of the Kennedy Summer School in Co Wexford have announced that the event will be postponed until 2021.

Here are today’s international Covid-19 points:

• Health experts have expressed growing concern that a second wave of Covid-19 deaths and infections could force governments to bring in more restrictions, even as China declared its risk level is low and New Zealand relaxed its pandemic shutdown.
• A secret Whitehall document produced years before the coronavirus outbreak forecast that the UK was ill-prepared to deal with a health pandemic, it has emerged.
• US President Donald Trump has compared the Covid-19 pandemic to the attacks on Pearl Harbour and 9/11, and defended not wearing a face mask while touring a face mask factory. 
• The official death toll from from Covid-19 in the UK has now surpassed 30,000 people.
• The Bank of England has forecast a 14% slump in the economy this year. In Germany, industrial output was down by 9.2% in March.
• Tennis Australia has conceded that next year’s Australian Open could be cancelled.

With reporting by Órla Ryan