HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE confirmed a further 43 people who contracted Covid-19 have died in Ireland.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan confirmed this evening that there are 629 new cases of the coronavirus in the country, and 95 more Irish cases from a testing backlog have also been confirmed by a lab in Germany.

The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland now stands at 13,271.

Of those whose deaths were announced today, 27 of the 43 people were reported as having underlying medical conditions.

34 of the deaths took place in the east, four were in the west and five were in the south.

The median age of today’s reported deaths is 84.

Last night it was revealed that two healthcare workers at St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny and eight patients at a care centre in Laois are among those who have died.

The HSE has said 17 people who are still residing at Maryborough Centre for Psychiatry of Old Age in Laois will have their conditions reviewed. They are all now being managed as if they are Covid-19 positive regardless of test results or the presence of symptoms.

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.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said this evening: “The data clearly shows that there are two very different experiences of Covid-19 in Ireland today. In the population at large, the virus is contained and effectively suppressed.

“However, the experience of the disease in long-term residential care settings continues to be a source of concern.

“In order to protect the vulnerable, the first task was to suppress the virus in the population at large. We are increasingly confident that we are achieving this. All of our efforts now need to be on extinguishing Covid-19 in our community residential settings, including nursing homes.”

With reporting by Hayley Halpin