Coronavirus cases continue to drop as 10 further deaths, 159 new cases confirmed

A FURTHER 10 people have passed away after contracting coronavirus in Ireland, the Department of Health have confirmed.

This number is the lowest daily rise in deaths since the end of March, but sadly brings the number of people who have died after contracting the disease to 1,497.

May they all rest in peace.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC) has also been informed of a further 159 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic: while this figure is up slightly from Tuesday's 107 new confirmed cases, the number is generally dropping day by day, with Tuesday's figure the lowest daily rise in new cases since March.

There are now 23,242 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland, however 84% of those diagnosed with the disease have now made a full recovery.

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

"84% of people who have been diagnosed to date with COVID-19 have recovered.

"We have been provided with additional data today regarding cases with underlying health conditions. Of 15,450 cases, where information is available, 53% had at least one underlying condition. The most common underlying conditions reported are chronic heart disease (15%), chronic respiratory disease (11%) and diabetes (6%)."

Dr Tony Holohan, Chef Medical Officer for the Department of Health, urged the public not to become complacent now that the numbers are beginning to drop.

"I would urge everyone to become familiar with the behaviours that we all need to maintain, including respiratory etiquette, physical distancing and handwashing. As we begin to think about easing restrictions these behaviours will become even more important."

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