LATEST: Kilkenny among 631 new Covid-19 cases with 47 further deaths confirmed nationally

A further 47 people have died after contracting the coronavirus as 631 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed this evening.

The number of new cases reported have more than double in just a day, while deaths have increased by more than 50% over the same period.

The overall death toll as a result of the virus has now reached 4,499. There have now been 224,588 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the country, according to the latest daily briefing from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

The breakdown of the latest cases is as follows: 247 in Dublin, 50 in Kildare, 44 in Meath, 41 in Cork, 32 in Limerick and the remaining 217 cases are spread across 20 other counties, seven cases were recorded in Kilkenny.

As of 8am today, 370 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 92 are in ICU. There have been 31 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.