A further 28 people with COVID-19 have died in the Republic and 936 new cases of the virus have been confirmed.

According to the Department of Health, three deaths that were previously reported as COVID-19 deaths have been denotified, so the total number of laboratory confirmed deaths now stands at 794.

The number of cases of the virus here now stands at 17,607.

Data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre shows that of the 16,439 cases reported to it as of midnight on April 21, 2,424 people had been hospitalised and of these, 331 had been admitted to ICU.

Some 4,545 cases were associated with healthcare workers.

According to the department's chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, while COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease, "modeling data shows us the reproduction number (R0 or r-nought) remains below 1.0".

The R0 represents how many people the average person with the virus is likely to infect in a completely susceptible population. The higher the R0, the faster the disease spreads. For example, an R0 of three means that each person with the virus is likely to infect three others. An R0 of one means they are likely to infect one other person.

A week ago, Ireland managed to get the R0 here to below 1.0 and this latest data means that this has been maintained.

"For the population at large, the growth rate is at zero and the transmission of the virus is effectively suppressed. Our R0 is between 0.5 and 0.8. This success emphasises how vital it is to remain vigilant in our behaviours. If the R0 moves above one, we are no longer in control of the disease," explained Prof Philip Nolan, chairperson of the National Public Health Emergency Team's (NPHET) Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group.

Meanwhile, earlier today, the World Health Organisation's regional director for Europe noted that up to half of those who have died of COVID-19 throughout Europe were living in residential care settings.

"Ireland continues to closely examine mortality so that we can understand it and do everything in our power to prevent it. We are now using our increased testing capacity to focus on staff and residents, so that we can learn in real time about this virus and take actions informed by that evidence," commented the department's deputy chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn.

COVID-19 is spread through close contact with an infected person's body fluids (e.g. droplets from coughing or sneezing), or by touching surfaces that an infected person has coughed or sneezed on. It can take up to 14 days for symptoms of the virus to show. These may include a fever, a persistent cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

COVID-19 can also cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia and severe breathing difficulties. Some 80% of cases will be mild to moderate, 14% will be more severe, while 6% will be critical.

Restrictions in relation to COVID-19 are now in place until May 5. As part of these restrictions, everybody is being asked to stay at home, except in specific circumstances. These include:
-Travelling to and from work in circumstances where the work is an essential health, social care or other essential service that cannot be done from home
-To shop for essential food and household goods
-To attend medical appointments
-For vital family reasons, such as caring for children or elderly people
-To take brief individual exercise within your locality, which may include children from your household, however this should be within 2km of your home.

All public and private gatherings of any number of people outside a single household or living unit are prohibited.

Those over the age of 70 and medically vulnerable people are also being cocooned. For more information on this, click here.

ALONE, the organisation that supports older people to age at home, is running a national support line for older people facing difficulties due to COVID-19. The support line is open every day from 8am to 8pm, call 0818 222 024.

For more information on COVID-19, click here.