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Department of Health officials have confirmed a second person has died from coronavirus in Ireland.

The person is a man in the east of the country who had underlying medical conditions.

A further 39 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed this evening.

This brings the total number of cases on the island of Ireland to 163 - 129 in the Republic of Ireland and 34 in Northern Ireland.

Of the new cases, 29 are males while 10 are female.

A total of 21 of the patients are in the east of the country, 13 are in the south, three are in the north-west and two are in the west.

On Wednesday, an elderly woman from Co Kildare became the first person to die from the pandemic that has claimed almost 5,000 lives worldwide.

The patient, who had been treated at Naas hospital had an underlying health condition.

The latest tragic victim is also understood to have had underlying medical issues.

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said: “Firstly, I would like to extend my condolences to the family and friends of the patient who died today.

“It is up to every one of us to play our role in slowing down the spread of this disease.

“Ireland is following ECDC guidelines in our approach to containing COVID19.

“Today’s increase in cases reinforces the necessity of the measures put in place last week, including hand and respiratory hygiene, social distancing, school closures and limiting the size of mass gatherings.

“I urge every citizen to follow these measures to protect our people, especially the most vulnerable in our society.

“I note also the pressure our emergency services phonelines were under today.

“112/999 should only be used for emergencies, when an ambulance is required. This is not an advice line.

“If you have flu like symptoms, self isolate at home until Monday and visit hse.ie for advice. You can call your GP on Monday morning and they will decide if you need a test. Please only call 999 or GP out of hours for emergencies.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health added there are many anecdotal stories of people ignoring the social distancing guidelines laid out on Thursday.

He added: “We are in an unprecedented global situation. Everyone in the country must play their part in protecting the most vulnerable and slowing down the spread of this disease.”