The country's top doctor has issued a stark warning that we will see a rise in deaths and ICU admissions in the coming days as COVID-19 continues to run rampant.
Dr Tony Holohan issued the grim prediction after a further 7,836 new cases and 17 deaths from the virus were confirmed this evening.
He said: “The country is in a serious phase of this surge of COVID-19. There is evidence of an increasing presence of the UK variant in Ireland.
"All counties have an upward trajectory of the disease. There is concerning escalation of admissions to hospital and ICU.
"We are very likely to see escalating mortality and ICU admissions in the coming days and weeks."
The Chief Medical Officer added it has "never been more important" to follow health officials' advise to stop the spread of the disease.
“It has never been more important, throughout our experience of this pandemic, to stay home and only meet people outside of your household for essential purposes, always adhering to public health advice; physical distance, hand hygiene, cough/sneeze etiquette, wearing a face covering.”
As of 2pm today, 954 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, with 88 are in ICU - a rise of 105 in the past 24 hours.
Of the cases notified today:
- 3,740 are men / 4,078 are women
- 63% are under 45 years of age
- The median age is 36 years old
- 2,263 in Dublin, 1,373 in Cork, 496 in Louth, 345 in Limerick, 340 in Meath and the remaining 3,019 cases are spread across all other counties.
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