Six further Covid deaths confirmed, 431 new cases

The latest Covid figures have been released.

Six further Covid-19 deaths have been confirmed by the Department of Health, as well as 431 new cases. 134 of today's cases are in Dublin, 53 are in Donegal, 25 are in Cavan, 24 are in Louth, 22 are in Mayo, and the remaining 173 cases are spread across all other remaining counties. As of 2pm today, 207 Covid patients are hospitalised across the country, of which 30 are in ICU. 22 additional hospitalisations have occurred in the past 24 hours. Speaking on Wednesday, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said: "We are seeing significant and concerning indicators that this disease in moving in the wrong direction, including an increase in positivity rates, and 7 day and 14 day incidence, and our 5 day average has now increased to 339 cases. "Recent international experience has demonstrated just how quickly this disease can get out of control. "These trends are all the more troubling because of the delicate and precarious situation we are in - as a country, we are heading into a period of potential widespread inter-household and inter-generational mixing. "This is an ideal opportunity for the virus to spread and impact on those most vulnerable to its severest effects. Don’t give Covid this chance: limit your contacts, prioritise who you meet, and let’s remain vigilant so we can get through this together." No Covid-19 outbreaks have been reported linked to cafés, restaurants or public houses in the last two weeks, according to the latest data from the HPSC. Earlier on Wednesday, the Northern Ireland Department of Health confirmed that 510 further individuals have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. Sadly, a further 8 deaths have also been reported up north. Speaking this morning, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly discussed how vaccination certificates are a part of the Covid vaccine plan.