Fourteen new cases of Covid-19 have been detected in Donegal, NPHET reports this evening.
There are six further deaths and 582 new cases of the virus in Ireland.
With one week to go until Christmas, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has warned that infection levels are deteriorating more rapidly than expected.
Dr Holohan said: “The country simply cannot cope with this level of infection as we head into Christmas week. With vaccines offering hope in the coming months for our most vulnerable groups, we want to keep them alive and well so that they can receive it.
The CMO has urged people to make immediate decisions to cut contacts.
He said: “Each one of us must do all we can to protect public health – cut your contacts, see only those you need to see. Choose to socialise safely, outdoors if possible. If you see a crowd, avoid it.
“By choosing to act safely right now, together we can limit the impact this disease will have in the weeks and months to come – and in doing so, we can protect the vulnerable and prevent unnecessary deaths.”
As of 2pm today, 198 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 34 are in ICU. There have been 13 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
The Covid-19 incidence rate in Donegal stands at two and a half times the national average. There have been 389 new cases of the virus in the past two weeks, while the 14-day incidence rate is now 244 per 100,000.
Of the cases notified today:
- 310 are men and 265 are women
- 60% are under 45 years of age
- the median age is 38 years old
- 193 in Dublin, 59 in Wexford, 47 in Louth, 42 in Meath, 34 in Cork and the remaining 207 cases are spread all other remaining counties
