LATEST: 397 new cases of virus confirmed as hospitalisations creep up

A further 365 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed this evening, an increase of 32 on yesterday’s figures.

The Department of Health reported 54 people are being treated for the virus in hospitals, three more than yesterday’s total.

16 people are now being treated in Intensive Care Units, two more than yesterday’s figure.

However, the department warned the number of cases may change due to future data validation amid the disruption caused by the cyber attack on the HSE’s system.

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: “We are seeing a small but concerning increase in hospitalisations in recent days, coming 10-14 days after the five day moving average of daily case numbers began to increase.

“This is a cause for concern and we will be monitoring it closely in the days and weeks ahead,” Dr Holohan concluded.