THE REPUBLIC of Ireland has recorded its largest daily rise in new coronavirus cases in almost seven weeks, raising concerns about the threat of a second wave.
The Department of Health yesterday confirmed that as of 5.45pm on Tuesday, 28 July, there had been 40 new cases identified in a 24 hour period.
The figure is the highest seen in the Republic since 13 June, almost seven weeks ago, when there were 46 cases identified within the community.
The worrying figure, while undeniably the largest Ireland has seen in weeks, may partially be due to a delay in recording new cases over the weekend, as yesterday, Monday, there were only 11 cases reported, a huge drop from recent weeks.
And while the number of new cases is cause for concern, there have been no deaths related to the virus announced for the third day running.
The new figures bring to 25,929 the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland; 1,764 people have passed away.
Acting Chief Medical Officer for the Department of Health, Dr Ronan Glynn, again warned against complacency and revealed that 75% of the newest cases were identified in people under the age of 45 with a median age of 33.
"At least half of today’s cases were known close contacts of other confirmed cases," Dr Glynn said at the press briefing yesterday evening.
"It remains vital that if a person is concerned that they have been in contact with a confirmed case or is experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, that they isolate and come forward for testing without delay."
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