A FURTHER 17 people have died after contracting coronavirus in the Republic of Ireland.
The Department of Health yesterday confirmed that 17 people-- eight in the east of Ireland, 3 in the south, three in the north-west and three in the west-- passed away following a diagnosis of Covid-19.
The victims, who are believed to be four women and thirteen men, had a median age of 84, and eight of them suffered from underlying health conditions, the Department of Health have said.
Their sad passing brings the number of coronavirus-related deaths in the Republic of Ireland to 71, or 99 on the island of Ireland.
An additional 325 new cases were yesterday confirmed by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
There are now 3,235 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland.
The HSE is working rapidly to identify any close contacts the newly confirmed cases may have had, in order to advise them and slow the spread of the virus.
As of yesterday, March 31 2020 at 1pm, 30,213 tests have been carried out in the Republic of Ireland.
A change in testing restrictions which means that a person must display two major symptoms of Covid-19 has seen a rise in positivity rates for tests, from 6% before the new measures to 15%, which the Department of Health say was the objective of the new case definition.
