A further 34 people with COVID-19 have died in the Republic, while 221 new cases of the virus have been confirmed.

According to the Department of Health, one death that had previously been classed as COVID-related has been denotified, so the number of deaths now stands at 1,265.

There are now 20,833 cases of the virus here.

Data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has shown that of the 20,510 cases reported to it as of midnight on April 29, 2,768 have been hospitalised and of these, 367 cases have been admitted to ICU.

Some 5,840 cases are associated with healthcare workers, which is 28% of all cases.

Meanwhile, over 6,600 cases are associated with 646 clusters of the virus.

Dublin continues to have the highest number of cases (10,170), while the lowest number of cases can be found in Leitrim (68).

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, while those over the age of 70 and medically vulnerable people are also being cocooned.

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.