38% increase in the number of new outbreaks of Covid-19 in private homes last week

There was a 38 per cent increase in the number of new outbreaks of Covid-19 in private homes last week.

According to a new HSE report, there were also 24 new clusters linked to schools during the week.

There were a total of 572 new clusters of the virus last week - compared to 480 the week before.

The big increase was the number of new outbreaks in private homes - they rose from 320 to 443.

The number of new clusters in hospitals increased, from eight to 11.

But there was a slight drop in new outbreaks linked to schools, with 24 new ones last week.

There were also 11 new clusters in childcare facilities.

Among vulnerable populations, there were two new outbreaks among the Roma Community, three among Travellers and two in direct provision centres.