COVID-19 Death Toll Rises To 571 After 41 Further Deaths Announced

A further 41 COVID-19 related deaths have been announced taking the total in the Republic to 571

Meanwhile, 778 more cases have been confirmed taking the official total to 14,758.

Twenty-three of the patients reported as dead this evening were men and 23 were women.

All of them were suffering from underlying health conditions.

Some 35 of the deaths were recorded in the east, two in the north west and four in the west.

As of Saturday 18 April, @hpscireland has been notified of the following;

· 630 new cases reported by Irish laboratories
· 148 cases reported by a laboratory in Germany

With the latest figures from Germany, there are now a total of 14,758 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Ireland.

— MerrionStreet.ie #StayAtHome (@merrionstreet) April 18, 2020

It comes as officials begin a census of the deaths recorded in the country’s long-term residential care facilities this year.

Residents and staff in every care home in the state will also be tested for the virus in the coming days.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said: "This week the National Public Health Emergency Team emphasised the importance of testing in interrupting the transmission of COVID-19 in community residential settings including nursing homes.

“This sector remains a priority for our focused attention and we will continue to monitor and support them through this outbreak.”

There have been 335 outbreaks of the virus in residential care settings around the country, including 196 in nursing homes.

More than half the country’s COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in nursing homes.

File photo of a Dublin nursing home, 22-12-2004

Some 57% of the patients that have died to date were men and 43% were women.

Their ages range from 23 to 105-years-old.

Some 330 were admitted to hospital with their symptoms and 46 were admitted to intensive care.

Today’s data from the @hpscireland,

Of those for whom transmission status is known:

· community transmission accounts for 52%,
· close contact accounts for 43%,
· travel abroad accounts for 5%

— MerrionStreet.ie #StayAtHome (@merrionstreet) April 18, 2020

As of midnight on Thursday, there were 454 clusters of the virus around the country involving 2,946 cases.

More than 2,000 (16%) have been admitted to hospital for their symptoms with 296 admitted to intensive care.

Just under one quarter are associated with healthcare workers.

Pictured (l to r) Assistant Secretary at the Department of Health Kathleen McLellan, Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn at the nightly briefing in the Department of Health, Dublin. Photo by: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Just over half picked up the virus in the community in Ireland, while 43% were known to be in contact with a previously diagnosed case.

One in twenty had recently travelled abroad.

Dublin accounts for half the confirmed cases in the country, followed by Cork which has 7%.

Today’s data from the @hpscireland,

· 3,573 cases are associated with healthcare workers

· Dublin has the highest number of cases at 6,934 (50% of all cases) followed by Cork with 979 cases (7%)

— MerrionStreet.ie #StayAtHome (@merrionstreet) April 18, 2020

Meanwhile, 193 people have now died in the North, taking the island of Ireland total to 764

There are 17,244 confirmed cases north and south of the border.