THERE have been a further five Covid-19 deaths noted in the Republic of Ireland today.
The five deaths were notified to the Department of Health in the last 24 hours. Four of the deaths are late notifications, relating to April and June.
Another 69 new cases of the coronavirus were detected, at least one of which is in Donegal.
There have now been 1,768 deaths from Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland while there have been a total of 26,372 positive cases.
Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “While the majority of these cases can be accounted for by outbreaks, this volume of cases is significant and our main priority now is to ensure that these outbreaks do not lead to widespread community transmission in the region.
“NPHET continues to monitor the situation closely. I urge people in these counties to remain vigilant to stop the further spread of Covid-19 in these areas.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: “We have seen a significant increase in the incidence of Covid-19 over the past week.
“The reproduction number for the virus is now estimated to be 1.8. A reproduction number of almost 2 is a serious concern, and although we have not yet seen a significant increase in community transmission, there is a significant risk this could develop over the coming days and weeks emphasising the need for each of us to be extremely cautious that we do not contribute to the transmission of the virus.”