The average number of contacts per case increased from fewer than three in May to more than six in the week ending 14 August.
The median age of new confirmed COVID-19 cases was 30 for the week ending 21 August – the lowest since cases were recorded
During the week ending 21 August, Dublin had more than 150 weekly cases for the second consecutive week.
Kerry, Leitrim, Sligo and Westmeath recorded no new cases in the week ending 21 August
This is the fourteenth week in a row that Mayo and Westmeath have recorded fewer than ten new cases, the fifteenth such week for Leitrim and Longford, the sixteenth such week for Kerry and the seventeenth such week for Waterford.
Women and those aged between 25-44 continue to account for the highest number of confirmed cases.
More than half (53%) of confirmed cases are now linked to an outbreak, while workplace outbreaks have increased from 3% to 12% since mid-April.
Health care workers continue to make up almost a third of all cases.
The CSO bulletin uses data from the Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting (CIDR) provided by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
Cases
While the number of people who have died from COVID-19 is below ten for the last eight weeks, Dublin remains the hardest hit.
There were 248 new cases diagnosed in Dublin in the week ending 21 August, down from the peak of 1,848 cases in the week ending 27 March.]?
The total number of people who have died from COVID-19 is 1,525, with a further 251 deaths cited as probable deaths linked to the virus.
For the week ending 21 August, fewer than five deaths were recorded.
The virus claimed the lives of 25 more men than women up to the week ending 21 August.
It also continues to have a greater impact on the older age groups, with 65% of all confirmed COVID-19 deaths to date in the 80 years or older age group.
Confirmed cases
The number of weekly confirmed COVID-19 cases is more than 600 in each of the last three weeks up to and including 21 August.
The total number of confirmed cases is 28,036. The number of cases for the week ending 21 August is 616, an increase of five from the previous week.
The median age of total confirmed COVID-19 cases is now 46 years old.
Some 3,513 more females were diagnosed with COVID-19 than males.
The 25-44 age group still show the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 9,803.
The median age of new confirmed COVID-19 cases was 30 years old for the week ending 21 August, the lowest since cases have been recorded.
Hospitalisations
Last week, 15 people were hospitalised with the disease, down from 666 people at the peak, the week ending 27 March.
For the fourteenth week in a row there have been fewer than five people admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Outbreaks
There have been 14,976 positive COVID-19 cases linked to an outbreak, which is defined as two or more cases in the same location and time. Women account for 54% of all cases linked to an outbreak.
One fifth (20%) of outbreaks affected those aged 80 years and older compared with 14% of all cases. The median age of confirmed cases related to an outbreak is 50
Nursing homes accounted for 41% of all confirmed cases related to an outbreak. This has decreased from a peak of 49% in late April.
Hospitals, residential institutions and nursing homes account for 57% of all cases linked to an outbreak.
The workplace now accounts for 12% of cases linked to an outbreak up from 3% in mid-April.
For the week ended 21 August, 58% of cases associated with outbreaks were male and 73% of cases were under 44.
More than one in four (42%) cases associated with outbreaks were linked to private houses and 40% to the workplace
Dublin, Kildare and Tipperary made up 71% of all cases linked to an outbreak for the week ended 21 August.
Underlying Conditions
There have been 1,449 deaths of people with underlying conditions from 10,571 confirmed cases with underlying conditions. The median age of those dying with underlying conditions is 83.
There were 1,344 deaths of people with underlying conditions in the over 65 age group. Of the 111 deaths in the 25-64 age group, 103 had underlying conditions.
In terms of underlying conditions, chronic heart disease was present in 45% of deaths.
Electoral division analysis
People living in cities were worst affected at the start of the pandemic accounting for 44% of all cases. However, for cases confirmed in July and August, this has fallen to 34%.
Over the same period, 22% of cases have been in independent urban towns. This is higher than the rate of 14% of all cases in these communities since the pandemic began, highlighting the movement of cases from cities to towns.
Excess mortality
CSO analysis of death notices indicates an excess mortality of between 850 and 900, for the period 1 March to July 31.
Excess mortality is a term used in epidemiology and public for the number of deaths above and beyond what is expected under ‘normal’ conditions.