A further seven deaths and an additional 4,962 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded this evening by the Department of Health.
It is the highest number of daily cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
Overall, there has now been a total of 2,259 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. There is also a total of 101,887 confirmed cases of the virus in Ireland.
Currently, there are 685 people in hospital with Covid-19 and a further 62 people with the virus in ICU.
The Department of Health said of the cases notified today: 2,408 are men and 2,539 are women, 63 per cent are under 45 years of age and the median age is 36 years old.
Regarding the location of tonight's cases: there are 1,260 cases in Dublin, 652 in Limerick, 350 in Cork, 321 in Louth, 238 in Meath and 2,141 spread across all remaining counties.
Speaking about the record figures this evening, Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer said: “This is a critical time. We are seeing a really significant surge in infection, which is leading to a very rapid increase in both hospitalisations and admissions to critical care units.
Preventable sickness
“This is not only unsustainable for the healthcare system, but also a deeply concerning level of preventable sickness and suffering that we must work together to address as quickly as possible.”
“The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has more than doubled from this day last week, and so has the number of people in ICU.
“Remember that behind each hospital statistic and ICU figure is a real person like you, with a family who cares about them, and a team of healthcare workers dedicated to protecting their lives. We must be as dedicated as we all were in the spring in our commitment to following the public health advice.”
Dr Holohan once again asked people to act as though they are infectious. Also, he asked people to work from home starting from tomorrow, and if they are an employer, ask their employees to work at home also.
He added “What we all do at a collective level today will have a direct impact on the level of infection and hospitalisations in the weeks to come.
“Your safe actions now will protect our hospitals and those who work so hard in them. Simply put: when you stay at home, you protect the frontline healthcare workers who have worked tirelessly to keep us all safe throughout this pandemic. Hold firm and remember them.”
