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The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today (Friday) been informed that 37 people with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in Ireland have died.

The HPSC has also been informed that, to date, 185 probable deaths* have occurred.

Therefore, there have now been 1,014** confirmed COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of 1pm today, the HPSC has been notified of 577 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 18,184 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

In Kerry, there’s still 271 cases, the same figure as yesterday (Thursday).

The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Wednesday, April 22 (17,420 cases), reveals:

• 57% are female and 43% are male
• the median age of confirmed cases is 49 years
• 2,486 cases (14%) have been hospitalised
• Of those hospitalised, 338 cases have been admitted to ICU
• 4,713 cases are associated with healthcare workers
• Dublin has the highest number of cases at 8,729 (50% of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,096 cases (6%)
• Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 49%, close contact accounts for 47%, travel abroad accounts for 4%

The National Public Health Emergency Team met today to continue its ongoing review of Ireland’s response to COVID-19.

Following the meeting, NPHET recommends adopting the ECDC case definition on testing for COVID-19. The NPHET also recommends retention of the current prioritisation categories.

“Every indicator to date suggests that the growth of this disease has either stabilised or suppressed,” Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said.

“This is a testament to the efforts made by every individual across Ireland over recent weeks. There is no doubt that your efforts have saved many lives.

“It shows that when public health advice is followed, we can suppress this virus in the long term. Keep going.”

*A probable death is a death where a laboratory test has not been done but where a doctor believes a death is associated with COVID-19.

**Validation of data at the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of 2 deaths. The figure of 1,014 deaths reflects this.