4,620 new cases of COVID-19 nationally

Galway Bay fm newsroom - 4,620 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed this evening.

571 patients are in hospital with the virus, down 27 on yesterday with 118 in intensive care which is 8 fewer than yesterday.

The World Health Organisation has classified the new covid strain from Southern Africa as a 'variant of concern'.

It says this strain which has been named 'Omicron' has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning.

It says preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other variants of concern.

It says the number of cases of this mutation appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa.