'A significant milestone': There are no new confirmed deaths from Covid-19 in Ireland today

The Department of Health confirmed the latest figures in its daily update.

TODAY IS THE first day since mid-March that there hasn’t been a confirmed death in Ireland from Covid-19. 

The latest figures were provided in the daily update from the Department of Health. 

The first death from Covid-19 was reported in Ireland on 11 March. Since then, 1,606 people have sadly lost their lives from the virus. 

The last day when no death was reported here was 21 March. 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that we had reached a “significant milestone” today and that it was a “day of hope”. 

The number of deaths continued to rise sharply along with confirmed cases until mid-to-late April when these figures began to stabilise.

In a statement, the department said that a further 59 cases of coronavirus have also been confirmed here, bringing the total number of cases to 24,698.

Last week, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said that the virus had been “effectively extinguished from the community” as the Irish public had adhered to the Covid-19 restrictions in place since March. 

Speaking this evening, Holohan said that the zero deaths being reported today is “consistent with our overall pattern of reduction”.

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“There’s always a weekend effect in terms of reporting, so I seem to recall there were four deaths last Monday, and the following day there was maybe a jump,” he cautioned.

It’s part of the continued trend where we’ve seen a reduction in the total number of deaths and reporting each day. 

He added: “The number of new cases and reported deaths over the past week indicates that we have suppressed Covid-19 as a country. It has taken strict measures to achieve this. It will take another week to see any effect on disease incidence that might arise from the easing of measures in Phase 1.” 

Health authorities have said passing through the five phases of re-opening is contingent on limiting the spread of the virus within the community.

- With reporting by Rónán Duffy