Covid cases continue to soar

Rates of Covid-19 continue to soar as 7,836 new cases were confirmed by the Department of Health this evening along with 17 further coronavirus-related deaths.

In Meath there were 340 new cases reported today.

A record 954 people are now in hospital and the number of people being treated for the virus in intensive care is up 12 at 88. There were 105 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

In a statement, the National Public Health Emergency Team said that of the new cases, 3,740 are men and 4,078 are women, 63 per cent are under the age of 45, while the median age is 36-years-old.

Of the new cases, 2,263 are in Dublin, 1,373 in Cork, 496 in Louth, 345 are in Limerick, 340 in Meath and the remaining 3,019 are spread across all other counties.

The death toll from Covid-19 in Ireland is 2,299, and the total number of confirmed cases is now at 121,154.

Dr Tony Holohan said the country is in a “serious phase of this surge” with evidence of an increasing presence of the UK variant in Ireland.

“All counties have an upward trajectory of the disease. There is concerning escalation of admissions to hospital and ICU. We are very likely to see escalating mortality and ICU admissions in the coming days and weeks.”

Earlier, Health Service Executive Chief Executive Paul Reid said Ireland has exceeded the peak level of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.