COVID-19 LATEST: 29 more people die but Covid-19 related admissions to hospital halve

Twenty-nine more people have died after contracting the coronavirus as 137 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed this evening.

It brings the overall death toll as a result of the virus to 1,403. There are now 22,385 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country.

The latest casualties were confirmed by the Department of Health as Health Minister Simon Harris told the Dáil the number of Covid-19 related admissions to hospital and intensive care units have halved in the last week.

The minister said: “The data coming through in the modelling is the number of admissions to hospital and intensive care. Both of these have halved in the last week.”

Minister Harris said last week hospital admissions were around 40 a day, compared to around 20 a day this week.

ICU admissions were around four to six a day last week, compared to just two a day this week, he said.