The COVID-19 death toll has reached 730 after a further 44 people were reported to have died from the virus.

Meanwhile, 338 new cases have been confirmed in the Republic, taking the total to 16,040.

However, some 8,377 people have now recovered fully – some 55% of the country’s cases.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said: "An analysis of 15,186 cases reveals that 8,377 (55%) have fully recovered from COVID-19 in the community, while 856 (6%) recovered and were discharged from hospital."

"We are now in our eighth week since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Ireland.

"In that space of time we, as a country, have managed to suppress the virus in our community.

"As we move forward we must look to protecting our vulnerable populations and maintain the progress we have made so far. There is no room for complacency."

Restrictions

It comes after the Government confirmed that large-scale mass gatherings will remain banned until the end of August at the earliest.

The decision will mean the cancellation of many of the summer’s gigs and music festivals and makes it increasingly unlikely that this year’s GAA Championships will go ahead.

Nursing homes

Dr Holohan said 502 of the deaths recorded so far have been in residential care centres. He said some 402 of these were in nursing homes.

There are currently 287 clusters of the virus in residential care settings - including 186 in nursing homes.

HIQA has published a new set of guidelines nursing homes must follow to ensure they are prepared for a COVID-19 outbreak.

Almost 70% of Ireland’s virus-related deaths are now linked to nursing homes and residential care settings.

Deaths

Thirty-seven of the newly-reported deaths were in the east of the country with two in west, two in the north-west and three in the south.

There were 26 women and 18 men among the dead.

Some 33 were reported as suffering from underlying health conditions.

The death of toll of 730 comes after the Health Protection Surveillance Centre this week re-classified one death as being unrelated to the virus.

COVID-19

Some 56% of the confirmed cases in Ireland have been women and 43% are men.

There are now 491 clusters of the virus around the country, involving 3,477 cases.

A total of 15% of patients have been hospitalised with their symptoms with 315 people admitted to intensive care.

More than a quarter of the confirmed cases in Ireland are healthcare workers.

Half the cases are in Dublin with Cork second-hardest hit at 7%.

Testing

As of midnight on Monday April 20th, 111,584 tests had been carried out.

That figure includes 20,822 in the past week, some 4,025 of which were positive.