The average number of new Covid-19 cases has risen steadily over the past five days, according to figures released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
Yesterday, the Department of Health was notified of 16 more coronavirus-related deaths and 543 new cases. That marked the fifth day in a row that the five-day moving average, which charts the progress of the disease while smoothing out daily and weekend fluctuations, had increased.
The figures also showed that the 73% of the new cases were in people aged under 45 and the median age of those newly diagnosed was 29.
Last Thursday, the Chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team's Epidemiological Advisory Group said that while there is "steady progress" in all indicators for