448 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland

By Dean Egan.

Health officials have confirmed another 448 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

42 people are in hospital with the virus, 14 of which are in ICU.

It comes as the five-day moving average of cases has risen by 34% in the past two weeks - it now stands at 413, compared to only 308 a fortnight ago.

Public health officials say the increase is driven by the Delta variant, which now accounts for about 70% of cases.

As of midnight, Friday 2nd July, we are reporting 448* confirmed cases of #COVID19.

14 in ICU. 42 in hospital.

*Daily case numbers may change due to future data review, validation and update.

— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) July 3, 2021