BREAKING: Kilkenny among 2,122 new cases of virus as eight further deaths confirmed

There have been eight Covid-19 related deaths recorded this evening, while 2,122 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed.

It brings the overall death toll as a result of the virus to 2,616. There have now been 174,843 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the country, according to the latest daily briefing from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

There are no newly reported deaths among healthcare workers and or among young people under the age of 30.

The amount of people in ICU has hit 200 – the highest figure so far of the entire pandemic.

The breakdown of the latest cases is as follows: 753 are in Dublin, 236 in Cork, 142 in Wexford, 126 in Kildare, 109 in Limerick with the remaining 755 cases spread across all other counties, including 12 further infections in Kilkenny.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said this evening: “This third wave of the pandemic has seen higher level of hospitalisations across all age groups.

“There are now more sick people in hospital than any time in the course of this pandemic.

“The risk that this disease poses to the individual who is infected has not changed. What has changed is that we are experiencing a much greater level of community transmission and as a result we are seeing higher numbers of people with severe illness who require hospitalisation or admission to intensive care and higher numbers of mortality.

“Please continue to stay at home and drive down this infection in our community,” Dr Holohan aded.