47 new cases of Covid-19 in Meath

A further 23 Covid 19 related deaths have been reported by health officials this evening.

The National Public Health Emegency team (NPHET) also confirmed 921 new cases of the virus, 47 of which were in Meath.

The death toll now stands at 3,865 and the total number of cases is 207,720

Meanwhile the Navan electoral area has now the highest incidence rate of the virus in the county. There were 148 new cases in the two weeks up to midnight on Monday giving an incidence rate of 423.7 per 100,000, well above the national average of 319 per 100,000.

Trim had 129 new cases and a rate of 413.5, while Kells had 120 new cases and a rate of 370.4.

Three electoral areas in Meath were below the national average.

The Ratoath area was the lowest with 70 new cases and a rate of 210.1, Laytown/Bettystown had 91 new cases and a rate of 266.7 and Ashbourne had 92 cases and a rate of 316.4.

Of the cases notified today:

453 are men / 466 are women

66% are under 45 years of age

The median age is 34 years old

414 in Dublin, 87 in Cork, 51 in Kildare, 48 in Limerick, 47 in Meath and the remaining 274 cases are spread across all other counties.

As of 8am today, 959 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 173 are in ICU. There have been 53 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said: “We have made progress in Ireland over recent weeks, but the rate of transmission of the disease is still extremely high and the risks Covid-19 poses to our vulnerable loved ones have not changed.”

“Everyone is working hard to drive down Covid-19 infection in the community, and we must all continue to limit the number of daily contacts we have. The only way to limit the spread of Covid-19 is to limit our social contacts and follow the public health advice, wash our hands, maintain a social distance, wear a face covering where appropriate, work from home and stay at home.”