Two Covid deaths and 3,470 positive cases out of 53,416 tests were recorded during the past week, according to the health ministry’s weekly report, released on Friday.

The deaths concerned a woman aged 84 and a man aged 91.

As such, there have now been 1,070 Covid deaths in the Republic, according to the ministry.

The weekly report further stated that 34 Covid patients are receiving treatment at state institutions.

Four of the patients are intubated at ICU units, one of whom is in serious conditions.

As for this week’s Covid tests, the ministry said the positivity rate came to 6.5 per cent.

PCR tests yielded the highest rate at 8.43 per cent, following 3,168 tests of which 267 returned positive.

Rapid tests returned a positivity rate of 6.37 per cent, as 50,248 tests were carried out with 3,203 identifying a positive result.

Contact tracing tests had a 25 per cent positivity rate, with two positive cases out of just eight tests.

A total of nine cases out of the 3,492 tests carried out at care homes returned positive.