“The country simply cannot cope with this level of infection as we head into Christmas week."

Six more people with Covid-19 have died in Ireland, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has reported. The HPSC has also been notified of an additional 582 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. 193 cases are in Dublin, 59 in Wexford, 47 in Louth, 42 in Meath, 34 in Cork and the remaining 207 cases are spread all other remaining counties. As of 2pm on Friday, 198 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 34 are in ICU. There have been 13 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours. Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said: “Over the past week, we have expressed significant concern that the level of infection was deteriorating day on day. The data today adds further evidence that the situation is getting worse more rapidly than we expected. “The country simply cannot cope with this level of infection as we head into Christmas week. With vaccines offering hope in the coming months for our most vulnerable groups, we want to keep them alive and well so that they can receive it. “Each one of us must do all we can to protect public health - cut your contacts, see only those you need to see. Choose to socialise safely, outdoors if possible. If you see a crowd, avoid it. "By choosing to act safely right now, together we can limit the impact this disease will have in the weeks and months to come - and in doing so, we can protect the vulnerable and prevent unnecessary deaths.”