Coronavirus in Ireland: One more person dies and eight new cases reported

Northern Ireland records no deaths for fifth time in eight days

Shoppers in Belfast after all shopping centres and retailers were given the green light to reopen in a significant relaxation of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in Northern Ireland. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Shoppers in Belfast after all shopping centres and retailers were given the green light to reopen in a significant relaxation of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in Northern Ireland. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

One more person has died in the Republic from coronavirus, the Department of Health said on Sunday

The daily update by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) reported eight new cases, bringing the total number of cases to 25,303.

There have now been a total 1,706 Covid-19 related deaths in the Republic of Ireland.

On Saturday Nphet reported a further 5 people had died in the Republic from coronavirus and 46 new cases.

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However, it said 22 of the 46 samples were taken on Monday and Tuesday and would normally have been reported on Thursday and Friday but, for technical reasons as part of normal laboratory practice at the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL), are being reported on Saturday.

“Contact tracing has already been undertaken for the majority of these cases”, it added.

A total of 1,705 number of people have died of Covid-19.

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “Today’s increase in notifications of Covid-19 is not an increase in the daily incidence of the disease. When the cases are analysed according to the date the samples were taken, it shows that they were spread out over a number of days. All the indicators of the disease are stable or reducing. We will continue to closely monitor these every day.”

Of the total cases of the virus so far, 57 per cent are female and 43 per cent are male, the median age of confirmed cases is 48 years, 3,276 cases (13 per cent) have been hospitalised. Of those hospitalised, 416 cases have been admitted to hospital intensive care.

A total of 8,123 cases are associated with healthcare workers. Dublin has the highest number of cases at 12,179 (48 per cent of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,533 cases (6%) and then Kildare with 1,426 cases (6%).

Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 37 per cent, close contact accounts for 60 per cent, travel abroad accounts for 2 per cent.

Northern Ireland

On Sunday the North’s Department of Health, in its daily bulletin, reported that there were no deaths in Northern Ireland from coronavirus. This was the fifth time in the past eight days that it recorded zero deaths. The death rate remains at 541.

On Sunday the department also reported just seven new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland taking the number of cases to 4,848. Two further coronavirus-linked deaths were reported in Northern Ireland on Saturday, taking the total recorded by the Department of Health there to 541.

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen is a former heath editor of The Irish Times.

Gerry Moriarty

Gerry Moriarty

Gerry Moriarty is the former Northern editor of The Irish Times