'Do not drop your guard' this weekend, says Acting Chief Medical Officer, as no new Covid-19 deaths reported

There have been no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre today. There has been a total of 1,777 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight Thursday, August 27, the HPSC has been notified of 127 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There has now been a total of 28,578* confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. (*Validation of data at the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of 1 confirmed case. The figure of 28,578 confirmed cases reflects this.)

Of the cases notified today:

• 70 are men and 57 are women
• 80% are under 45 years of age
• 66 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
• 8 cases have been identified as community transmission
• 52 are in Dublin, 13 in Monaghan, 9 in Tipperary, 8 in Meath, 8 in Wexford, 8 in Roscommon and the remaining 29 are located in Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Offaly, Waterford, Westmeath and Wicklow

The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

The Covid-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of Covid-19 in the community.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said:

"While the number of people in critical care remains stable we have seen an additional 8 people hospitalised in the last 24 hours.

"If cases continue to rise we will see an inevitable increase in the number of people hospitalised. We all have a role to play in preventing that from happening.

"This weekend it is vital that people play their part by decreasing social contacts. Do not drop your guard just because you are meeting people close to you. Remember that, just because somebody looks and feels well, that does not mean they are Covid free."