COVID-19 UPDATE: 102 new cases confirmed as number of tests passes the 10,000 mark

More than 10,000 Covid-19 tests have been conducted in the Republic of Ireland while the number of people who have contracted the virus has reached 785, the Department of Health said this evening.

A further 102 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

Chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said that the HSE’s strategy is “focused completely” on identifying and isolating patients, and identifying their contacts, which is in line with the World Health Organization’s mantra of “testing, testing, testing”.

Dr Henry added that testing was happening on an “unprecedented scale”, with hospitals, the National Ambulance Service and testing centres around the country.