LATEST: One further death and 429 new cases of virus, 6,500 students to have marks upgraded over errors

One more person has died after contracting the coronavirus as 429 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed this evening.

It brings the overall death toll as a result of the virus to 1,804. There are now 36,155 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the country, according to the latest daily briefing from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

The latest cases were confirmed as the Department of Education admitted up to 6,500 Leaving Cert students have been affected by errors in the calculated grades process.

The breakdown of the latest cases is as follows: 189 cases are in Dublin, 60 in Cork, 31 in Donegal, 28 in Galway, 18 in Kildare, 15 in Wicklow, 15 in Clare, 12 in Limerick, 9 in Meath, 8 in Louth, 7 in Cavan, 7 in Longford, 6 in Laois, 5 in Offaly, 5 in Westmeath, with the remaining 14 cases in 8 counties.

Education Minister Norma Foley apologised for the bungle this afternoon. In a statement, the minister said the precise number of students who will receive higher grades will not be available until the process is completed. She stressed that no student will receive a reduced grade in any subject as a result of this process.

Minister Foley said the errors resulted in incorrect grades being issued to some students when they received their results on September 7. She added the errors are being rectified and a series of independent checks is under way.

This review is expected to take a number of days. Once completed, the Department will then contact all affected students and advise them on whether they will receive a higher grade or grades, or that they are not impacted.

Minister Foley said the Department of Education and Skills has put in place a dedicated helpline and email address to answer queries from students.

The helpline number is 01 8892199 and the email address is LC2020@education.gov.ie.

The helpline will be open until 7pm today and from 10am to 5pm tomorrow.