Of the cases confirmed today, 57 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case while 11 cases have been identified as community transmission.
78 per cent of the cases are in those under 45 years of age.
51 are located in Dublin, 24 in Kildare, 12 in Kilkenny, 11 in Tipperary, seven in Cork, six in Limerick, six in Wexford, five in Meath and the remaining 14 cases are in Carlow, Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Offaly, Roscommon, Waterford and Wicklow.
Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said that 1,311 cases had been notified over the past 14 days, with a median age of 33.
81 of these cases or 6 per cent were in healthcare workers, while 435 cases or 33 per cent were located in Kildare. 23 per cent of the cases were located in Dublin, 6 per cent in Offaly, 6 per cent in Tipperary, 5 per cent in Limerick and 3 per cent in Laois.
R number
Dr Glynn said: “The core message from NPHET this week is to limit your social networks. Stick to a limit of 6 people from no more than 3 households indoors, and 15 people outdoors.
"Risk assess your environment and do not stay if it doesn’t feel safe. Remember that the virus wants large groups to gather together in order to spread. Do not give it the opportunity.
"We can continue to suppress this disease in Ireland by working together and staying apart.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: “The R-number is now at or above 1.2.
"There are two concerns now, the number of new cases per day remains high and the pattern has changed from large outbreaks in specific settings to much smaller outbreaks widely distributed across the country.”
Dr Siobhán Ni Bhriain, Consultant Psychiatrist and Integrated Care Lead HSE, said: “Playing our part includes presenting for testing when required. This includes one initial test and a follow up test within seven days.
"By fulfilling this testing cycle you reduce the threat of asymptomatic transmission and help to control the spread of the disease.”
Lockdowns
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met today to consider whether the current lockdown in Laois, Offaly and Kildare should be lifted as planned on Sunday after being in place for the past two weeks.
It emerged today that public health experts have privately warned the Government that a return to a full national lockdown may be necessary if the number of Covid-19 infections continues to rise.
Ireland's cumulative number of cases per 100,000 have grown by the third highest rate in Europe, currently standing at 25.4 per 100,000, up from just 6.7 cases per 100,000 on July 31st. There has been a sharp increase from 50 cases per week to now over 600 cases per week.
HSE chief Paul Reid said today that some people testing positive for Covid-19 currently have up to 50 contacts, with 55,000 people being tested in the past week in the second highest testing figures since April.
A new cluster of Covid-19 was also announced today in a direct provision centre in Co Wicklow, at the Esplanade Hotel in Bray.
Northern Ireland
An outbreak was also confirmed at a meat plant in Co Antrim, with the North's Minister of Health Robin Swann saying that at least 35 cases had been identified.
Another 51 people in the region have tested positive for coronavirus with no further deaths reported, according to the Northern Ireland Department of Health. Some 298 people have tested positive for the virus in the last seven days, bringing the total in the North to 6,556.
New restrictions on gatherings have been announced in the region, with the number of people allowed to meet indoors at households to be reduced to six from no more than two households, and the limit on numbers at outdoor gatherings being lowered to 15.
