Another 154 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Donegal.
There have been 28 more Covid-19 related deaths confirmed in Ireland this evening, with 3,955 new cases nationally.
There have now been 163,057 cases and 2,488 Covid-19 related deaths since the pandemic began.
Twenty-six of the deaths announced today occurred in January 2021. The date for the other two deaths remains under investigation.
As of 2pm today, 1,789 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised in Ireland, of which 169 are in ICU.
Donegal has recorded 2,462 cases of the virus in the past two weeks.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said: “Today we are giving some more information on the 208 people who have been reported to have sadly died from COVID-19 so far this month. Of these, 23 cases have been linked to outbreaks in hospitals and 38 with outbreaks in Nursing Homes. The ages of those who have died range from 25 to 98 years. Every death associated with COVID-19 is a tragedy. We must cut our social contacts in order to break the chains of transmission and protect those who are most vulnerable to this disease. Stay at home and save lives.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: “From an epidemiological perspective, what we are seeing in this wave is different to what we have seen since springtime, and perhaps worse. The penetration of the virus throughout all ages of the population is a particular cause for serious concern, as is risk of severe disease that all of these people face.
“Poor health outcomes, risk of serious or long-term illness and hospitalisation remain a risk for us all when it comes to COVID-19. That is why we must follow public health advice and protect not only ourselves but our hospital system and healthcare workers by staying at home.”
