HEALTH OFFICIALS in Ireland have confirmed that a 16-year-old has sadly died from Covid-19.
The Department of Health announced on Wednesday that a total of 574 people had tested positive for coronavirus while a further 56 had died.
According to the data published, 31 of these deaths occurred in February while 13 occurred in January and three were in December or earlier. A further nine are still under investigation.
It was also confirmed that an unnamed teenager was among those who died, with the Department of Health reporting that the age range of deaths announced from 16 to 97 years.
Dublin remains one of the hardest hit regions in Ireland with 175 new Covid cases.
A further 57 were reported in Limerick along with 43 in Kildare, 37 in Galway and 35 in Meath with the remaining 227 cases spread across 18 other counties.
The news that a 16-year-old has died from a virus largely associated with mortality in older age groups serves as a stark warning that Ireland’s battle with Covid-19 is far from over – and everyone must be on their guard.
Speaking in the wake of the new death figures Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn explained that it was “vital” that every effort be made to push cases down.
He explained that only by lowering Covid-19 case levels could Ireland forge a path ahead that would see children return to schools sooner rather than later.
Pictured is Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health at the media briefing in the Department of Health. Photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ieHe said: “We continue to see good progress, but this needs to be sustained. It is vital that we get our children back to school over the coming weeks.
"A key part of making this a success will be our continued collective buy-in to the public health measures that are tried and tested. Stay at home, work from home where possible.
“Given the increased transmissibility of the virus now, we must continue to limit our social contacts and do all we can to starve this disease of opportunities to spread.”
His warning comes a day after the Irish government extended the strict Level 5 lockdown measures in place for a minimum of six weeks.
See More: Coronavirus, Covid-19, Dublin, Kildare
