A total of 484 more cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Ireland today.
Sadly a further three people have died from the fatal virus bringing the overall death toll to 2,143.
There is now a total of 77,678 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.
Of the cases notified today;
- 246 are men / 238 are women
- 59% are under 45 years of age
- The median age is 37 years old
- 150 in Dublin, 45 in Wexford, 40 in Cork, 32 in Donegal, 29 in Limerick and the remaining 188 cases are spread across 20 other counties.
As of 2pm today 200 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 31 are in ICU. 30 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: “The 5-day moving average is 387 per day– this is an indicator that the disease is moving quickly when compared to the previous 5-day average. The virus is spreading throughout the country, in all age groups.
“We are now getting reports of outbreaks in social settings including workplace settings, Christmas parties and funerals. I cannot stress enough how important it is to limit your interactions now. The consequences of not doing so will be exponential growth in January, a substantial increase in hospitalisations and risk to life.”
Ireland looks set to be put under further restrictions by the end of 2020 as the COVID-19 situation deteriorates.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said this evening that NPHET will recommend new restrictions before the end of the year.
Among the restrictions expected will be limiting household visits to one other household, and further limits on hospitality.
A decision is expected from the Government when they meet next Tuesday.
Sign up for Dublin Live's breaking news newsletter by simply entering your email address in this article here.
The FREE email will land into your inbox every single morning at around 9:30am and give you all the latest news from around the capital.
Whether it be traffic and travel, what's on or crime - this newsletter will have you covered for everything.
You can unsubscribe from this service at any time. And rest assured that your data will not be shared with any other party.
