1% of people tested for Covid-19 return positive result but no time to 'take the foot off the pedal,' says Dr Holohan
New figures show just 1% of people swabbed for the coronavirus last week tested positive.
There have now been 25,215 confirmed Covid-19 cases across the country since late February, including nine new cases recorded today.
The Covid-19 death toll has risen to 1,691, after a further 9 people died here.
The death toll has risen to 1,691 after it was confirmed 9 more people with the virus lost their lives.
New figures show over 367,000 tests have been carried out, including just under 20,000 in the past week.
Of those, 185 came back positive for Covid-19, meaning a positivity rate of 1%.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan said while today's figures show the situation is continuing to improve he referenced the World Health Organisation (WHO) to urge the public to remain vigilant.
“While today we report 9 new cases and the situation continues to improve in both Ireland and across Europe, the World Health Organisation has noted that now is not the time to ‘take the foot off the pedal,’" he said.
Dr Holohan further referenced the WHO in his comment: "Countries need to continue to work hard to avoid complacency and promote solidarity.”
Speaking about Ireland's response to date, Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health, said: “Contact tracing and public health surveillance are essential elements in our response to Covid-19.
"Public Health doctors and their teams have quietly undertaken an extraordinary effort to contact trace over 25,000 Covid-19 cases to date.
"Going forward, we can all assist them in their work by limiting the number of people we meet and keeping a log of the people we interact with every day.”
