THERE HAVE BEEN a further 98 cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland today, health officials have reported this evening.

The latest figures from the Department of Health also show there have been no further deaths associated with the disease.

It brings the total number of Covid-19 cases in the Republic of Ireland to 29,303. There have been 1,777 deaths of patients diagnosed with the disease.

Of the cases notified today:

• 48 are in men and 50 are in women.
• 66% are among those under 45 years of age.
• 42% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case.
• 9 cases have been identified as community transmission.
• 24 are based in Dublin, 13 are in Kildare, 8 are in Kerry, 6 are in Kilkenny, 6 are in Limerick, 6 are in Louth, and 5 are in Tipperary.
• The remaining 30 cases are in Carlow, Clare, Cork, Galway, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Waterford and Wexford.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn urged people to keep physical distance and public health guidelines about indoor gatherings in mind at all times this weekend.

“It’s important that we all keep our number of social contacts low while we focus on keeping our schools safe, continuing to resume healthcare services and ultimately protecting the most vulnerable from Covid-19,” he said.