*Photograph: John Mangan
An increase in the amount of new COVID-19 cases has been confirmed nationally but figures in Clare have dropped.
On Saturday evening, the Department of Health announced that 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Co Clare.
Clare’s incidence rate per 100k of population is now 272.7 and has fallen below the national rate 302.9. Compared with all counties in the Republic of Ireland, Clare has the thirteenth highest incidence rate.
Nationally, 859 new cases are known. 62 percent of these occurred with individuals under the age of 45. 192 are located in Dublin, 148 in Cork, 58 in Donegal, 55 in Galway, 54 in Meath, 12 in Clare with 340 cases spread across 20 remaining counties.
Health officials have been notified of an additional four COVID-19 related deaths, all of which were this month. 1,882 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in the country to date.
There are 315 persons being treated in Irish hospitals for the virus, 37 of which are in ICU. A total of 16 hospitalisations were recorded in the past 24 hours.
