Almost half of all cases of Covid-19 ever reported in Ireland have been returned in the last fortnight, health officials have said.
A 25-year-old was among those who have died this month, while the oldest was aged 98.
Hospitals are under intense pressure and an optimistic outcome could see 800 being treated by the end of the month, those modelling the disease’s spread said.
Over the week to Wednesday, on average 23 patients a day have died, health officials added.
“Every death associated with Covid-19 is a tragedy,” chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said.
Dr Holohan said of the 208 people reported to have died from the disease so far this month, 23 cases have been linked to outbreaks in hospitals and 38 with outbreaks in nursing homes.
Professor Philip Nolan, modelling the disease’s progress for the State, confirmed 44 per cent of all the Covid-19 cases ever reported have been returned in the last fortnight.
One in 67 people in Ireland have been notified of a Covid-19 diagnoses in the last 14 days, Prof Nolan said.
Hospital updates
While he warned the incidence of the disease was 20 times greater than at the beginning of December, he added that the country had “turned a corner” and the number of new infections was beginning to improve.
Another 3,955 cases were confirmed on Thursday evening, while 28 deaths were confirmed.
Significant levels of Covid-19 mortality lie ahead, deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn warned on Thursday.
The Dáil heard on Thursday that Covid-19 hospital updates make for “grim reading,” with intensive care (ICU) capacity expected to be used up nationwide by the weekend.
“Overwhelmed” staff at the country’s most Covid-19 hit hospital have described patients “on top of one another” in its corridors as it battles a surge of coronavirus cases.
Meanwhile, Stormont’s leaders have criticised the Irish Government over a “long-running saga” regarding Covid-19 travel.
First minister Arlene Foster said repeated attempts by the Executive to access data on passenger locator forms filled out by people arriving in the Irish Republic had proved unsuccessful.
A further 16 people were confirmed to have died with Covid-19 in Northern Ireland on Thursday, while 973 people tested positive for the disease.
Ms Foster said the reproductive rate of the virus had declined to between 0.7 and 0.9 and the region had been able to “break the pathways of transmission.”
