One death and 679 new Covid-19 cases reported by Nphet this evening

One additional death and 679 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) on Sunday.

The figures bring the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 4,136, while the total number of confirmed cases in the Republic is 215,057.

Of the cases notified on Sunday, 335 were men while 342 were women, with 72 per cent of cases being confirmed in people under 45 years of age. The median age is 32.

Dublin had 230 confirmed cases while Limerick had 59, Galway had 48, Kildare had 47, Tipperary had 29, with the remaining 266 cases spread across 19 other counties.

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As of 8am on Sunday, 744 Covid-19 patients were hospitalised, of which 148 are in ICU. There were 45 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, as of February 18th, 326,475 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland. Some 205,955 people have received their first dose, while 120,520 people have received their second dose

Dr Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer at the Department of Health, said while the level of disease in the community remains very high, “we are still making progress”.

“We have reported less than 1,000 cases each day this week and our seven day average has fallen from 1,022 two weeks ago, to 862 last week, to 792 today. The number of people in hospital has fallen from over 1,200 two weeks ago, to 744 today,” he said.

“Do not underestimate the power of your actions as we seek to protect the gains we have made and further reduce transmission. This week, please continue to work from home unless essential and do not visit other households unless for essential reasons or as part of a support bubble.”

In Northern Ireland, four further deaths related to Covid-19 and 263 new cases of the coronavirus have been reported, according to the North’s Department of Health.

This brings the death toll in the region to 2,033, while the total number of cases stands at 110,979.

There are 394 patients in hospital with Covid-19, with 49 of them being treated in intensive care.