LATEST: Kilkenny among 557 new cases of virus as 17 further deaths confirmed

A further 17 people have died after contracting the coronavirus as 557 new Covid-19 cases confirmed this evening.

The overall death toll as a result of the virus now stands at 4,566. There have been a total of 228,215 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the country since the pandemic hit, according to the latest daily briefing from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

The breakdown of the latest cases is as follows: 229 are in Dublin, 58 in Kildare, 34 in Donegal, 31 in Meath, 24 in Tipperary with the remaining 181 cases are spread across all other counties, including six further infections in Kilkenny.