There have been 8 further deaths and 393 more Covid-19 cases, the Department of Health confirmed today.

Of the deaths notified today three occurred in May, two occurred in March and three occurred in February or earlier.

The median age of those who died was 79 years and the age range was 55 – 97 years. There has been a total of 4,921 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland and 251,474 confirmed cases.

Of the cases notified today, 175 are men and 211 are women, with 79pc are under 45 years of age. The median age is 28 years old.

Nationally, there were 173 cases in Dublin, 42 in Cork, 34 in Kildare, 26 in Donegal, 15 in Meath and the remaining 103 cases are spread across 20 other counties.

As of 8am today, 131 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 36 are in ICU. There have also been 16 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

As of May 4, 1,655,866 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland. 1,201,373 people have received their first dose and 454,493 people have received their second dose.

Homeless people are currently being offered a vaccine in a test centre that was set up by the HSE in Dublin’s city centre.

The clinic will provide the one shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine for 700 medically vulnerable people living in homeless services over the next two weeks.

Minister of State Frank Feighan said: “Vaccination of this group demonstrates the value the Government places on equity and inclusion in the public health service.”

Meanwhile, the supermarket chain Lidl announced today that they would sell rapid Covid-19 antigen tests across their stores in Ireland. They’ll be on sale from tomorrow for €24.99 per pack of five test kits. Each customer will only be able to buy five packs at a time.

However, with daily case numbers still in the mid-hundreds, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said yesterday that the public needs to “stay vigilant” and avoid congregating in large groups such as at funerals, wakes and birthday parties.

“As we look forward to the greater reopening of activities and services, our key objective now is to maintain our course in coming weeks and follow the public health advice in our daily activities,” he said.

“When you are planning to meet someone, remember that outdoors is safer for everybody.

“And when you meet up, stay at a 2m distance, keep to a small group and avoid crowded areas – this will minimise the risk of passing the virus from person to person, driving down the incidence rate and keeping our society open.

“We need all sectors of society to continue to encourage and support the public health messages and to help everyone to stay safe.”