Covid death toll surpasses 4,000

The number of Covid-19 deaths in Ireland passed 4,000 this evening, as the National Public Health Emergency team confirmed a further 57 deaths from the virus. The death toll now stands at 4,036.

A further 650 cases of Covid-19, 50 of them in Meath, have been confirmed this evening, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 211,751

34 of the deaths confirmed today occurred in February, 21 in January, one in December and one in November.

The age range of today’s reported deaths are between 52 and 99.

Of the cases notified today:

325 are male/ 323 are female

65% are under 45 years of age

The median age is 37 years old

192 were in Dublin, 53 in Galway, 50 in Meath, 46 in Kildare, 46 in Cork and the remaining 263 cases are spread across 19 other counties.

“Although we have made great progress, the situation remains precarious,” said Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn.

“Almost 90% of cases in Ireland are the B117 variant. The increased transmissibility of this variant is apparent in the current profile of the disease in households, with one in three household contacts of a confirmed case testing positive for COVID-19.

“This underlines the need for people to exercise caution in households and other settings. In particular, people should isolate immediately on experiencing any symptoms and contact their GP.”