THERE has been a recent surge in the number of people under the age of 25 in Ireland contracting coronavirus.
According to statistics, over three-quarters of all new cases confirmed on Friday were among young people, with 17 out of the 23 cases - a whopping 77%.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) have warned that "none of us are immune" and speculate that the recent spike in socialising over the past week or so is a likely cause of many of the new cases.
Over the past few months since the outbreak of the pandemic, coronavirus has appeared less infectious and less harmful among young people, but recent case statistics may suggest otherwise.
Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn told reporters at a press briefing on Thursday evening that many of the recent cases are linked to "groups meeting up".
Over the past week and a half since pubs reopened, images and footage has emerged online of hundreds of young people failing to adhere to social distancing guidelines, both inside pubs and out on the street, by Dr Glynn insists that now is not the time to play the blame-game.
"It's not unexpected from the perspective that the measure in place are easing, and I want to reiterate that it's not about targeting any age group or any group in the population," he said.
"It's not about blame, it's about protecting each other, and reiterating the point that we can all get on with the activities we want, but we need to do so safely.
"If we try to go back to living and acting like we did last January, it's only a matter of time before we're facing a significant problem with this disease."
