A further 41 people with COVID-19 have died in the Republic, the highest daily death toll recorded so far.

Twenty-five males and 16 females have died in the last 24 hours, 31 of whom had underlying health conditions.

Thirty-six of these deaths occurred in the east of the country, four in the west and one in the south.

There have now been 406 COVID-related deaths here.

A further 548 new cases of the virus have also been reported by Irish laboratories, along with a further 284 cases reported by a German laboratory, bringing the total number of cases here to 11,479.

"Having come through a challenging few weeks, we have significantly strengthened testing capacity and will continue to do so over the coming week, to put us in a very strong position to identify and suppress the virus," commented Dr Cillian De Gascun, chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team's (NPHET) Expert Advisory Group.

As of midnight on April 13, 90,646 tests have been carried out - 62,952 in Irish laboratories and 27,694 in a laboratory in Germany.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health's chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, expressed concern about "the prevalence of COVID-19 in nursing homes and residential care settings".

"The NPHET is monitoring developments in these facilities and continues to advance supports and actions where needed. From the beginning, we have been aware that vulnerable groups, including the elderly, are at greater risk from this virus. These groups will continue to be our priority," he commented.

On a more positive note, the HSE's chief clinical officer, Dr Colm Henry pointed out that there has not been a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases in hospitals, including ICUs, over the last few days, "and that is down to the efforts of every individual who has followed advice to stay apart and slow the spread of the virus".

"To everyone playing their part, the health service is grateful," Dr Henry added.

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.