58,415 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Meath

A TOTAL of 58,415 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Meath test centres - that's equivalent to a quarter of the local population - since the start of the pandemic.

Figures released to Deputy Peadar Tóibín TD shows 185,974 PCR tests were carried out in the county and 58,415 tested positive.

A breakdown of the figures since testing began two years ago show 149,161 tests carried out in the static test centre in Ashbourne, with 25,896 positive, 21,606 tests carried out in Slane with 1,684 positive and 1,359 tests carried out in Navan with 127 positive.

At pop-up test centres: 5,932 tests were carried out at Navan Racecourse with 3,853 positive, 597 tests at Navan Rugby Club with 122 positive, 556 at Navan Academy Street Clinic, with 125 positive, 1,895 at Navan O'Mahonys with 98 positive, 473 at Slane Care Park with 30 positive and 4,359 tests at Fairyhouse with 2, 465 positive.

Meanwhile health officials reported a further 3,494 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 3,609 registered positive antigen tests yesterday, while 665 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, with 67 of those patients in intensive care (ICU).

At 8pm last night, there were five people with the virus in hospital in Navan and 54 in Drogheda, three of whom were in intensive care.

The HSE has confirmed 63 deaths in the week up to last Wednesday 9th February, bringing the total number of deaths since the pandemic began to 6,291.