Of today's cases:
- 478 are men / 520 are women
- 71 per cent are under 45 years of age
- The median age is 31 years old
- 254 are in in Dublin, 102 in Meath, 88 in Cork, 81 in Cavan, 75 in Galway and the remaining 400 cases are spread across 20 counties
As of 2pm today 246 Covid-19 patients are being treated in hospital, of which 30 are in ICU.
This is an increase of 13 patients in the last 24 hours.
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “Case numbers are continuing to rise. Right now, we need everyone to cut their social contacts to an absolute minimum. Every time you physically interact with another person, you are providing an opportunity for the virus to spread.”
The news comes as it emerged that the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has recommended a nationwide move to Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions for a period of six weeks.
Senior Government officials are set to meet to consider the recommendation on Saturday.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that the Government is giving "very active consideration" to moving the country to Level 5 restrictions upon the recommendation of Nphet.
Meanwhile, doctors have urged the public to comply “fully” with Covid-19 restrictions, as they warn that another shutdown of non-Covid healthcare services this year would be a “catastrophe”.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), representing over 5,000 doctors across all specialties, has warned that departments of public health across the country are under “extreme pressure” with the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases.
It said the country now had an “extremely short” window to avoid its health system becoming overwhelmed.
“Departments of Public Health all around the country are under extreme pressure with the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases. Covid-19 is no longer under control,” Dr Ina Kelly, Chair of the Public Health Committee of the IMO said.
“If this continues we will not be able to protect our most vulnerable in society so we really need the support of the public to be the first line of defence and keep fighting this virus.
“If cases continue to rise it will be a catastrophe for our health system and will cause untold suffering for patients who require diagnostic and scheduled care.”
