A further 12 people with COVID-19 have died in the Republic, bringing the total number of deaths here to 1,458.

Some 236 new cases of the virus have also been confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to 22,996.

Data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre shows that of the 22,671 cases notified to it as of midnight on May 8, 57% were female and 43% male.

Almost 3,000 cases had been hospitalised and of these, 383 had been admitted to ICU.

Some 6,771 cases were associated with healthcare workers and 49% of all cases were found in Dublin.

Worldwide, the number of cases is now in excess of 4.1 million, while the number of deaths is over 282,000. The number of people considered to have recovered from the virus is over 1.4 million.

Earlier today, the HSE chief executive, Paul Reid, said that the cost of supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) to the health service is expected to be €250 million per quarter, or €1 billion per year.

There will also be "very significant" costs associated with testing and contact tracing.

"However, the costs of not investing in these are much higher in terms of the cost for society of not unlocking restrictions," Mr Reid commented.

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.

Current restrictions in relation to COVID-19 are now in place until May 18. 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 5km of your home.

All public and private gatherings of any number of people outside a single household or living unit are prohibited, while those over the age of 70 and medically vulnerable people, who are cocooning, can now leave their homes for exercise, as long as they stay within 5km of their home and maintain social distancing at all times.

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.