LATEST: Surge continues as almost 20,000 new cases of virus confirmed
A further 19,866 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed this evening.
The Department of Health said it has been notified of 9,324 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19, as well as 10,542 positive antigen tests logged through the HSE portal.
As of 8am, there were 1,466 Covid patients in hospital, up 41 on the same time yesterday morning. Of these, 55 patients were being treated in ICU, an increase of two.
The latest figures come as a Kingston Mills, professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, said the surge in Covid cases was inevitable as it is “difficult to stop transmission from a person who is not wearing a mask”.
“That is the harsh reality of it,” Professor Mills told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
