LATEST: Kilkenny among 879 new cases of virus as 101 further deaths confirmed
A further 101 people have died after contracting the coronavirus as 879 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed.
The number of deaths is a record for a single days figures and the first time more than 100 deaths have been announced since this pandemic began.
The overall death toll as a result of the virus has now reached 3,418. There have now been 198,424 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: 383 in Dublin, 79 in Cork, 53 in Galway, 40 in Limerick, 43 in Meath and the remaining 290 cases are spread across 20 other counties, including 11 further infections in Kilkenny.
Commenting on today’s figures, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan said: “This is the highest number of deaths we have reported on any single day of the COVID-19 pandemic so far.
“The high mortality we are experiencing as a country at the moment is related to the surge of infection we saw several weeks ago, and the hospitalisations and admissions to ICU that followed as a direct result.
“Although we have seen great improvement in the level of infection being reported, we have a long way to go and incidence needs to decline much further.
“The best way to honour those who have died from COVID-19, and those who loved them or provided care for them, is to follow the public health advice.
“Stay at home unless absolutely necessary, and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to do the same,” Dr Holohan concluded.
