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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that Ireland will face some of its darkest days in the weeks ahead, as it battles to contain the spread of coronavirus.<\/p>\nTaoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that Ireland will face some of its darkest days in the weeks ahead, as it battles to contain the spread of coronavirus.<\/p>\n
In a video message posted on Twitter, Mr Varadkar said that the country is preparing to reach its Covid-19 peak later this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number of hospitalizations and sadly the number of deaths continues to rise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we cannot lose focus. We cannot lessen our efforts. In fact, we need to redouble them for the next few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more important than ever that we persevere. It\u2019s possible that we haven\u2019t seen the peak yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes, perhaps later this month, we will experience some of our darkest days. So we need to maintain our discipline and resolve in the knowledge that better days are to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wishing the public a Happy Easter, he added: \u201cThis is a special time of the year when we recall some of the major turning points etched into our national story \u2013 the Easter Rising, becoming a Republic, the Good Friday Agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many of us Easter is a special moment in the Christian calendar, marking the resurrection, the Good News and what it means for the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Easter we reach another crucial point in our history \u2013 our fight against Covid-19. Thank you for heeding the advice of our experts, for interrupting the spread of the virus, sheltering the most vulnerable, protecting our health service and ensuring the staff who work in it have not been overwhelmed so far.<\/p>\n
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\u201cYour action are making a difference. The spread of the virus is slowing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo today \u2013 whether we have faith or not \u2013 let us remember the Easter message, a message of suffering and sacrifice followed by rebirth and renewal, and above all a message of hope as winter turns to spring.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen this emergency ends we will mourn the dead, comfort the bereaved, and be together again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will re-awaken the sleeping giant that is our economy, our people will go back to work and our businesses will reopen, and taking what we\u2019ve learned, we will build a better society at the end of this \u2013 a great society for a great people.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday, health officials confirmed 553 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, the biggest increase since the outbreak began.<\/p>\n
The Department of Health also said a further 286 older cases of Covid-19 have been reported by a laboratory in Germany.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, Minister for Health Simon Harris said he hoped the backlog in testing would be cleared by the end of next week.<\/p>\n
He said between 25,000 and 30,000 tests had been sent to Germany, with more than half of the tests returned and the remainder due back this week.<\/p>\n
There are 8,928 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, and another 33 people have died, taking the total to 320.<\/p>\n
Of the 33 deaths, 25 had an underlying health condition. Thirty were in the East and three in the West. There were 14 females and 19 males with a median age of 82.<\/p>\n
Analysis from the Health Protection Surveillance Center (HPSC) shows that as of Thursday, when there were 7,787 cases, about 45% were male and 54% were female.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the Government extended its current restrictions for another three weeks, until May 5.<\/p>\n