Covid-19 Friday: 37 more deaths, 577 more cases

The Department of Health has confirmed a further 37 deaths today from Covid-19 in Ireland and a further 577 new confirmed cases.

There have now been 1,014 laboratory confirmed Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. The Department of Health has also added a further 185 deaths to the overall total and these deaths are considered to 'probably' been caused by coronavirus in recent weeks.

There is now a total of 18,184  confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland with 1,096 cases in Cork.

The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Wednesday April 22nd  (17,420 cases), reveals:

• 57% are female and 43% are male
• The median age of confirmed cases is 49 years
• 2,486 (14%) have been hospitalised
• Of those hospitalised, 338 cases have been admitted to ICU
• 4,713 cases are associated with healthcare workers
• Dublin has the highest number of cases at 8,729 (50% of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,096 cases (6%)
• Of those for whom transmission status is know; community transmission accounts for 49%, close contact accounts for 47%, travel abroad accounts for 4%

Following the meeting, NPHET recommends adopting the ECDC case definition on testing for Covid-19. The NPHET also recommends retention of the current prioritisation categories.

Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, Department of Health said: 'Every indicator to date suggests that the growth of this disease has either stabilised or suppressed. This is a testament to the efforts made by every individual across Ireland in recent weeks. There is no doubt that your efforts have saved many lives.'

'It shows that when public health advice is followed, we can suppress this virus in the long term. Keep going.'

• To hear an interview with Tadhg Daly of Nursing Homes Ireland, subscribe to the Southern Star Coronavirus podcast. The interview will go live this weekend. The podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.