A further 6,521 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been announced alongside 10 further virus-related deaths.

It takes the death toll to 2,307 and the total number of cases to 127,657. The figure accounts for the denotification of two previously-announced deaths.

This afternoon there was a record 1,043 COVID-19 patients in Irish hospitals with 96 people in intensive care.

The 14-day rate of the virus in Ireland now stands at 936.4 per 100,000 people.

The seven-day incidence is now 936.5 while the five-day moving average is 6,147.

Of the cases announced this evening, 2,174 are in Dublin, with 571 in Cork, 382 in Limerick, 342 in Waterford, 315 in Wexford and the remaining 2,737 spread across all other counties.

Announcing the figures this evening, the Chair of the COVID-19 modelling Group Professor Philip Nolan said Ireland is now facing “exceptionally high levels of disease” with all indicators at “unprecedently high levels.”

He said the reproductive number of the virus is now between 2.4 and 3.

That means that, on average, every group of 100 people that contracts the virus is passing it on to between 240 and 300 others.

The national 14-day rate of the virus in Ireland. Image: Department of Health

Monaghan still has the highest 14-day rate in the country at 1,819.4 per 100,000 people.

Five other counties are also experiencing 14-day rates above 1,000 – Louth, Limerick, Cavan, Donegal and Dublin.