Covid-19 Friday: 5 deaths, 617 new cases

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre  (HPSC) has today been notified of 5 additional deaths related to Covid-19.

There has been a total of 1,821 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight Thursday 8th October the HPSC has been notified of 617 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 40,703 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today;

• 310 are men / 307 are women
• 73% are under 45 years of age
• 33% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
• 72 cases have been identified as community transmission
• 123 in Dublin, 107 in Cork, 42 in Meath, 36 in Kerry, 35 in Galway and the remaining 274 cases are located across 21 counties.

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

The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community.

Dr. Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, Department of Health said; 'The profile of the disease continues to deteriorate. There have been an additional 32 hospitalisations and 8 ICU admissions in the past 24 hours. We are continuing to see a high number of daily cases.

'It is vital that we interrupt the transmission of the virus now. NPHET continues to monitor the situation however it is early, individual action that is needed to suppress the virus. Please follow public health advice and do your part to make an impact on the disease.'

• To watch or listen to the Southern Star Coronavirus Podcast, please search ‘Coronavirus Podcast’ at the top right of this page or see the Southern Star on YouTube. This week’s podcast features singer and producer Iarla Ó Lionáird, a former member of the hugely successful Afro Celt Sound System. In more recent years, he has been a member of the traditional/folk supergroup The Gloaming. He spoke at length to Southern Star creative manager Niall O'Driscoll about growing up in Cúil Aodha, his varied career and making music from his home near Inistioge in Co Kilkenny during the pandemic.
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