A further 31 people with COVID-19 have died in the Republic, and the number of cases here has now exceeded 10,000.

According to the latest figures, 18 females and 13 males have died, with 25 of these reported as having underlying health conditions.

Twenty-six of the deaths occurred in the east, three in the north west, one in the west and one in the south.

There have now been 365 COVID-related deaths in the Republic. According to data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), 59% of those who have died were male and 41% female, and 247 of these cases had been admitted to hospital, with 37 admitted to ICU.

Meanwhile, an additional 527 new cases have been confirmed by Irish laboratories, along with an additional 465 cases reported by a laboratory in Germany, bringing the total number of cases here to 10,647.

"Today marks a milestone in Ireland's experience of COVID-19 as we see the number of confirmed cases exceed 10,000. The number of community cases of COVID-19 shows why we continue to need the public health measures that we currently have in place.

"I understand that the current restrictions are tough, especially during a bank holiday weekend when in normal circumstances, most of us would have met up with family and friends, but I ask that the public continue to work with us and follow the guidelines that are in place," commented the department's chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan.

He emphasised that the next three weeks "will prove crucial to Ireland's COVID-19 story".

"By working together, we give ourselves the best chance to slow the spread and save lives," he insisted.

HPSC data shows that of the 9,484 cases reported to it as of midnight on April 11, there were 401 clusters of the virus, involving 1,795 cases.

Some 1,849 people had been hospitalised and of these, 268 had been admitted to ICU. Overall, 2,489 cases were associated with healthcare workers.

Research conducted by the Department of Health shows that 37% of people feel we are currently experiencing the worst of the pandemic right now, compared to 11% on March 16. However, 55% of people believe the worst is yet to come.

Earlier in the day, the CEO of the HSE, Paul Reid, said that while there had been a backlog of around 35,000 tests, as of today, that figure has been reduced to 11,000, "primarily between the buildup of our lab capacity and our ability now to bring on the European lab provider through Germany".

"That backlog will continue to be reduced and will be reduced completely during the course of this week," Mr Reid said.

He noted that the HSE's aim was to carry out 4,500 lab tests per day and on Saturday, almost 8,000 tests were carried out.

Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, six more deaths have been announced, bringing its total number of COVID-related deaths to 124. There are now 1,882 cases of the virus in the North.

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.