52 further Covid-19 related deaths and 866 additional cases have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland today.
33 of these deaths occurred in February, 12 occurred in January, 6 in December or earlier and one is still under investigation.
The median age of those who died was 83 years and the age range was 55-96 years.
There has been a total of 3,846 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.
As of midnight, Wednesday, February 10th, the Health Proection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has been notified of 866 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
There is now a total of 206,801 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.
Of the cases notified today:
- 401 are men/463 are women.
- 65 per cent are under 45 years of age.
- The median age is 35 years old.
- 281 are in Dublin, 63 in Galway, 56 in Kildare, 47 in Meath, 39 in Cork and the remaining 380 cases are spread across all other counties.
As of 8am today, 984 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 172 are in ICU. 44 additional Covid-19 cases have been reported in Ireland in the past 24 hours.
As of February 8th, 242,353 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland:
- 154,900 people have received their first dose.
- 88,453 people have received their second dose.
Chief deputy medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said: “We are cautiously optimistic about the epidemiological situation across the country. This positive momentum has been achieved through the dedication of people across the country in recent weeks. However, incidence and mortality rates are still very high, and the significant risk of community transmission of the virus remains, especially for those most vulnerable to Covid-19 infection. It is of vital importance that people continue to stay at home and to work from home where at all possible.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: “In the last week, the HSE has begun to test close contacts of confirmed cases. This is a positive move as it clearly shows that we are back in the containment phase of this pandemic. However, the positivity rates among household contacts is quite high, close to 30%. This is a timely reminder to us all to immediately isolate ourselves if we have any symptoms, to protect those most important to us. We should also continue to limit our social contacts. Do not visit another person’s household unless you are providing essential care.”
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said “high levels” of Covid restrictions will remain in place until at least Easter.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said: “Schools are the priority and construction — a phased return to construction, particularly house-building — because we have a social crisis in terms of the availability of housing for people across all strata of society.
“And, certainly, we are looking at a continuation of high levels of restrictions to the Easter period. That remains to be determined by Government; there will be further discussions.”
Mr Martin said it “makes sense” with coronavirus vaccines being rolled out that the Government remains “cautious and conservative” in its approach.
He added that the numbers of people in hospital with the virus needed to continue to reduce.
