Ireland's acting Chief Medical Officer has been praised for his explanation why so many young people are getting coronavirus here.
The country's death rate remains extremely low at the moment due to the amount of younger people contracting Covid-19 rather than vulnerable groups.
And Dr Ronan Glynn has urged people not to play the blame game as he explained why this is the case.
Speaking at a Department of Health briefing the doctor said: "The reason we are seeing more cases in younger people is because younger people are the people who keep our shops open, who keep our hospitals open...a lot of them are teachers who work in our schools, they keep our economy going, they keep our businesses going."
The top doctor added that everyone needs to keep going with the collective effort to stem the virus.
Dr Glynn said: "Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “Every single contribution and effort you make counts to the national push to curb the effects of this infectious virus on our society.
"Every time you take responsibility to keep your social contacts low, avoid a crowded place or get-together, know that you are making a vital difference. It is individual action built upon individual action that will get us through this pandemic.”
"The effort to suppress COVID-19 begins in our own homes. Many confirmed cases in the past weeks and months have been close contacts of confirmed cases. It is in our own household through regular handwashing, cough and sneeze hygiene, cleaning surfaces, limiting the number of visitors and isolating as soon as we experience any concerning symptoms that we can make the biggest impact."
