The Department of Health has announced 255 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, as well as 10 further deaths.
It brings the total number of cases in Ireland to 1,819, and the total number of deaths to 19.
241 cases, 10 deaths in Northern Ireland
Of the patients who were announced to have died this evening nine were in the east of the country, with one in the south
The median age of confirmed cases so far is 46, while 340 cases (25%) have required hospitalisation.
Of those hospitalised, 47 cases have been admitted to ICU
321 cases (23%) are associated with healthcare workers
Dublin has the highest number of cases at 774, (56% of all cases) followed by Cork with 154 cases (11%)
12 cases in Donegal
8 case in Sligo
14 cases in Mayo
5 cases Roscommon
under 5 cases in Leitrim

There have been three more deaths and 32 new cases of Coronavirus in Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours.

The total number of cases has risen to 241 with 10 deaths overall.

More than 3,700 (3716) have been tested for the virus in Northern Ireland. The vast majority, 3,475, have tested negative.

Combined with the figures released yesterday by the HSE, there are now 1,805 confirmed cases and 19 deaths on the island of Ireland.

Visiting is to be banned at hospitals in Northern Ireland, apart from limited exceptional circumstances, as part of plans to combat the spread of the virus.

The Department of Health set out the next stage of its action plan in a letter to health trusts this morning and it's understood some hospitals have implemented the ban with immediate effect.

A further 115 people have died in the UK after testing positive for Covid19, bringing the total number of deaths to 578, the British government has said.

The number of confirmed cases also rose to 11,658, from 9,529 on Wednesday

The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 15,000 people in Europe, according to an AFP tally at 1720 GMT on Thursday.

A total of 15,500 fatalities have been reported across Europe, most of them in Italy (8,165) and Spain (4,089), followed by France with 1,331.

With 268,191 officially declared cases of infection, Europe is the continent worst hit by the virus that first emerged in China in December.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has welcomed the Government's announcement on student nurse pay but says it will be seeking further clarification.

The organisation says it understands that student nurses will now be offer contracts as healthcare assistants.

However, it called for further clarity on how the roles can be integrated with student nurses academic placements.

It said taking on student nurses as paid staff not only values their work, but offers them clear protections as employees.

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, said: "This is a really welcome step from the government. It's good news for the student nurses, who will now be paid for their work on the frontlines."

44 in intensive care in the Republic of Ireland

According to updated figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre the total number of people so far admitted for Intensive Care Units with Covid-19 infections had reached 44 people by 3pm yesterday afternoon.

A press briefing by the National Public Emergency Team is scheduled for 6pm at the Department of Health this evening.

The first batch of a massive order for Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare workers place by the HSE will start arriving here from China on Sunday afternoon.

The overall HSE order for this essential equipment is worth €200 million.

The amount of protective equipment is so large that it is going to require ten flights just to deliver the first batch of the order, which is valued at €30 million.

In all, the €200 million order has been broken into five batches for delivery and up to 300 flights (or the equivalent) backwards and forwards to China will be required between now and the end of May to complete the delivery.

It is the first of the ten flights needed for the first batch of equipment that that will arrive in Ireland on Sunday.

France has carried out its first train evacuation of coronavirus patients from the hard-hit east of the country, which has registered over 1,300 hospital deaths in the fast-spiralling epidemic.

The specially adapted high-speed TGV train, which in normal times moves travellers between France's main cities and to other European capitals, evacuated 20 patients from the Alsace region bordering Germany and Switzerland to help relieve overstretched facilities there, officials said.

The patients were destined for hospitals in the Pays de la Loire region along the western Atlantic coast.