The number of patients admitted to hospitals in Ireland is rising sharply as the spread of Covid continues.
The CMO, Tony Holohan warned that Covid is moving towards its worst condition and people should be extra vigilant.
Within 24 hours, 32 people were hospitalized with the disease and eight were admitted to the ICU.
He said the number of cases is increasing day by day and it is essential to control the spread of the disease.
He also said that the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) continues to monitor the situation, but individual action is needed to contain the spread of the disease.
Holohan made it clear that everyone must follow public health guidelines and play their part in reducing the spread of the disease.
Meanwhile, 617 new Covid positive cases were reported in Ireland on Friday. So far 40,703 people have been infected. Five Covid deaths were also confirmed and this brings the total death toll to 1,821.
33% of cases were confirmed by contact. At the same time, 72 cases have been identified as community-spread.
Dublin – 123, Cork – 107, Meath – 42, Kerry – 36 and Galway – 35 were confirmed. The remaining 274 cases are in 21 counties across the country.