HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE confirmed a further 39 people who contracted Covid-19 have died in Ireland.

The Department of Health confirmed this evening that there are 445 new cases of coronavirus in the country, and 48 more Irish cases from a testing backlog have been also been confirmed by a lab in Germany.

The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland now stands at 15,251 and there have been a total of 610 deaths.

The cases confirmed from the lab in Germany represent the processing of a backlog of Irish samples, some of which date back to mid-March. The HSE has said it is hoped the backlog would be eliminated this week.

Of the 39 deaths announced today, 29 were reported as having underlying health conditions. The median age of today’s reported deaths is 84.

A total of 37 of the deaths were located in the east of the country and two were in the west.

Based on figures provided by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, 346 of the 610 who have died in Ireland were male and 264 were female.

The age range of those who have died is between 23 and 105 years old and the median age is 83.

Of the 610 who have died, 337 were admitted to hospital with 46 admitted to ICU.

Earlier today, HSE chief executive Paul Reid said that Ireland’s Covid-19 testing backlog has been eliminated.

At the HSE’s weekly operational update in UCD this morning, Reid said that 4,000 tests have been completed this weekend between staff and residents in long-term care settings, which are a priority for testing.

While testing facilities are operating smoothly, Reid said that acquiring personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers remains “challenging” due to the extraordinary global demand.