"Everyone needs to stay at home other than for essential work or care. This is not the time to be visiting other houses."
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has reported that 13 more people have died and that there have been a daily record of 1,718 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland on Wednesday (30 December).
Of the cases reported on Wednesday, there were:
- 358 in Dublin
- 164 in Cork
- 155 in Louth
- 150 in Donegal
- 112 in Galway
- Remaining 779 cases spread across all other 21 counties
As of 2pm on Wednesday, 455 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, 37 of whom are in intensive care units (ICU). There have been 60 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
There has now been a total of 90,157 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and a total of 2,226 deaths related to Covid-19 in Ireland to date.
In Northern Ireland, the Department of Health reported a record 2,143 cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday and six deaths. In total, 19 deaths and 3,861 cases of Covid-19 have been reported on the island of Ireland today.
Commenting on Wednesday, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said: "Ireland is no longer in a containment phase and is once again in a mitigation phase. Given the current levels of transmission in the community, every individual should consider themselves potentially infectious.
"It is essential that we all limit our contacts to our own household now, restrict our movements and do not give Covid-19 any further opportunities to spread.
"Everyone needs to stay at home other than for essential work or care. This is not the time to be visiting other houses."
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, added: "The reproduction number remains very high and is currently estimated at 1.6 – 1.8. The growth rate is estimated to be 7-10% per day with a doubling time of 7-10 days.
"We must take action immediately to prevent an almost unimaginable scenario, where case numbers in seven to 10 days’ time are twice what they are today. Stay at home."
