LATEST: Confirmed Covid-19 cases rise again in four counties but Offaly and Laois remain low

For the second consecutive day there has been a notable increase in cases of Covid-19 in four counties in Ireland however the number of new cases in Offaly and Laois remains low. 

As of midnight Thursday 13th August, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been notified of 67 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 26,995* confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. 

Of that figure, 18 cases were in Dublin, 17 in Kildare, nine in Clare, five in Limerick, and the rest of the 18 cases are in Carlow, Cork, Donegal, Laois, Longford, Offaly, Tipperary, Wexford, Wicklow meaning that number of new cases in each of Offaly and Laois was either two or just one, the same as yesterday.

Yesterday there were 24 in Dublin, 24 in Kildare, eight in Limerick and five in Clare. Of those four counties, Kildare is the only one currently locked down.

READ NEXT: Latest update on cases of Covid-19 in hospitals in Offaly, Laois and Kildare

Of the cases notified today;

35 are men / 32 are women
70% are under 45 years of age
38 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
16 cases have been identified as community transmission

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

There have been no new deaths reported to the  today. There has now been a total of 1,774 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; "We have seen cases rising all across the country this week. We must continue to do all we can to avoid a return to where we were in March and April.”

“We have also seen an increase in the average number of contacts for confirmed cases up to 6. It is crucial to keep your social contacts low to limit the spread of this disease.”

“We all have a responsibility to stop this. Social distancing applies to all age groups - wherever you are this weekend, keep your distance."