A study carried out on the rate of Covid-19 infection in the Irish population has estimated that three times more people between 12 and 69 were infected with virus than were officially detected.
The study, which was conducted by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre and the National Virus Reference Laboratory, found that less than 2 in every 100 people have been infected with the virus.
The study, the first of its type in Ireland, measured antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 virus, which are an indication of past infection with Covid-19.
It was conducted with a random sample of 1,733 people aged 12 to 69 years in Dublin and Sligo in June and July. It reported that a prevalence of infection of 0.6% in Sligo and 3.1% in Dublin.