Covid-19 Tuesday: 589 new cases

THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 589* confirmed cases of Covid-19.

As of 8am today, 62 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 17 are in ICU.

Dr Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: ‘Scientific evidence shows that Delta is a much more transmissible variant of Covid-19, now accounting for 80% of the cases reported in Ireland. This is a challenge that is facing all of Europe, but we know that the basic public health measures still work against this variant. Please continue to avoid crowds, wear a mask, manage your contacts, keep your distance, meet outdoors where possible and if indoors, ensure that the room is well ventilated.

‘With incidence of the disease continuing to increase, the rapid identification of cases and outbreaks of Covid-19 is essential. We are asking anyone diagnosed with Covid-19 to work with our contact tracers to identify all of your close contacts so that they, their families and colleagues can be protected. If you know you are a close contact of someone with Covid-19, or if you have any symptoms, stay at home and organise a free test as soon as possible.’