A further 16 people with COVID-19 have died in the Republic, bringing the total number of deaths here to 174.

A further seven deaths have also been announced in Northern Ireland, bringing its total number of deaths to 70, and the all-Ireland number of deaths to 244.

The patients who died in the Republic were 10 males and six females, with an average age of 78.

Eleven of the deaths occurred in the east, four in the north west and one in the west. Four of the patients were reported as having underlying health conditions.

A further 370 new cases of the virus have also been confirmed here, bringing the total number of cases to 5,364.

Research conducted among 1,270 adults today by the Department of Health has found that 86% of people believe that current Government restrictions are "about right" and 67% of people are interacting with family and friends over the phone.

Furthermore, the percentage of people stockpiling has reduced from a peak of 43% in the middle of last month, to 20% today.

"Our research shows overall level of worry remains high at seven out of 10, but has not increased significantly since the middle of March, despite the introduction of more restrictive measures," noted the department's chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan.

Data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) shows that of the 4,916 cases reported to it as of midnight on April 4, there were 260 clusters of the virus, involving 989 cases.

Some 1,265 people had been hospitalised and of these, 169 had been admitted to ICU.

With 2,692 cases, Dublin accounted for 55% of all cases nationwide.

Meanwhile, according to the HSE's chief clinical officer, Dr Colm Henry, while the healthcare system has been preparing for a surge in COVID-19 cases, "it is important to remind people that our hospitals continue to carry out all emergency and essential activity".

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.

New restrictions in relation to COVID-19 are now in place until April 12. Until then, 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.