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Another 13 coronavirus-related deaths and 604 confirmed cases have been reported in the state.
A total of 4,666 people have died with Covid-19 in the Republic since the pandemic began.
The Health Protection Surveillance Center (HPSC) reported that the average age of those who died was 77, with an age range of 51 to 93.
Twelve of the deaths reported on Sunday occurred in March while the date of the 13 was “under investigation.”
Of the cases reported on Sunday, 224 were in Dublin, 45 in Donegal, 36 in Kildare, 34 in Limerick, 26 in Tipperary and the remaining 239 cases were spread across 20 other counties.
A total of 322 people were being treated at the hospital for the virus on Sunday morning, 18 more than at the same time on Saturday. This compares with the 366 people who were hospitalized with Covid-19 on Sunday, March 21.
Sixty-six of them were in intensive care. This compares with the 366 people who received hospital treatment for Covid-19 on Sunday, March 21.
There are currently 66 people in intensive care with the virus, up from 80 last Sunday.
Offaly continues to have the highest 14-day incidence rate in the country at 443.8 per 100,000 population, followed by Donegal with 283.9 and Dublin with 246.9. The national average incidence rate in 14 days is 164.5 per 100,000.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said “the space is very tight” to lift Covid-19 restrictions next month.
He said the government will take a “cautious” approach to ease the lockdown measures as of April 5.
The government is expected to make an announcement on its plans for the restrictions after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
“We will observe the 5 km restrictions, the outdoor activity and complete the full return to school after Easter.”
Mr. Coveney also said that “we would like to see some level of opening of the construction industry” due to the pressure on housing, but said that “the first priority has to be public health and avoiding another wave of the virus” .
“The government’s approach will be cautious. We don’t want to allow restrictions to be lowered and then have to re-introduce them. ”
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s This Week program, he said that “we are trying to make sure that we will not allow a fourth wave of viruses between now and when the vast majority of people who want to get vaccinated are,” which he said was expected to mid-July.
The minister said that the National Public Health Emergency Team will report to the government on Monday and the Cabinet subcommittee will meet at 6 pm on Monday and make recommendations to the full cabinet on Tuesday morning.
Sports Minister Catherine Martin told RTÉ The Week in Politics that the government hoped to be in a position to extend the 5km travel limit, allow some outdoor sports activities, and allow people to meet outdoors with more than one home.
“We want to give people signs of hope, but we also have to be realistic. There are genuine concerns around a fourth wave, ”he said.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the plan to lift the restrictions must have the resources allocated and recruiting to ensure crucial testing and tracking is up to the task. While retroactive contact tracing begins in two days, “we’ve been in this crisis for a year, they still haven’t recruited the target number of contact trackers that they set. That system has really struggled to function and keep up and that’s downright embarrassing, a year after an emergency like this. ”
Middle term
He said the only way to deliver a medium-term plan to lift the restrictions is by “stating that you plan to have all the basic components of our defenses in place.
“It’s not just about opening things up. It has to be a matter of keeping things open and as long as we don’t have the tests and the tracing, the quarantine and the vaccination, you can’t talk in real terms about reopening but staying open. “The 5km limit is extremely difficult, But there can be no chance of success without getting the right ones, he added.
Meanwhile, so far more than 760,000 Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the Republic.
Figures from the Health Service Executive show that 548,945 first doses and 211,223 second doses had been issued as of Thursday.
HSE Executive Director Paul Reid said on RTÉ radio’s This Week program that about 800,000 doses of vaccines would be broadcast on Sunday night, and that approximately 15 percent of the adult population would have received their first dose. and 6 percent their second dose.
They will continue to inoculate those over 70 until April and May “completing that program.”
Describing the vaccination schedule for April and May, he said they will begin next month by vaccinating 200,000-220,000 in the “very high risk” category of people with underlying conditions and between the ages of 16 and 69.
That will last until early May, when vaccination of the “high risk” group in that age group will begin. “At the same time, in April and May we will be vaccinating people between 65 and 69 years old.”
He said that “as we move into May and June, we reach broader populations through vaccination at our GP clinics, hospitals and vaccination centers.” He said that they currently have 14 vaccination centers in operation, but that they will have 30 operations until April.
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