:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/7HLSENWQ6JZV27J44KQ4ANUVF4.jpg)
The number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 has fallen to the lowest level this year.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly referred to the decline as a "significant milestone". Mr Donnelly said hospitalisations from the disease had fallen below 500.
On Saturday those people in hospital with the virus figures fell to the lowest so far this year, with 532 patients hospitalised at 8am. And on Sunday 496 were in hospital with coronavirus at 2pm.
“All of the data is trending in the right direction. There are fewer patients with Covid being admitted to ICU [intensive care], which had 40 patients with Covid as as of this afternoon,” said Mr Donnelly.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YEDHCESWTLXW2UH777OIHVK6CM.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/XLWW2IJXLH7C6CT4ZPEJANLPME.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/2QZNHNUR3B66A72GPVQQ4VHNMM.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/JXN3M6LGDXV4IYH5KOMXMOTLLM.jpg)
Children’s hospitals
The data indicated that University Hospital Limerick had the highest number of patients with the disease, at 48, followed by University Hospital Waterford which had 39.
Portlaoise hospital had the lowest number of patients, at two. The children's hospitals, CHI Tallaght and CHI Temple Street, recorded no Covid-19 patients on Sunday.