There have been 98 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has also been informed that four people have died.

There has now been a total of 1,772 COVID-19 related deaths and 26,470 confirmed cases here.

Of the cases notified on Friday:

• 57 are men / 38 are women
• 68% are under 45 years of age
• 67 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
• Four cases have been identified as community transmission

Thirty-five cases are located in Kildare, 26 in Offaly, six in Wexford, five in Laois, and five in Dublin.

While 21 are spread across 10 other counties.

These are Carlow, Cavan, Donegal, Kilkenny, Limerick, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Westmeath and Wicklow.

It comes as a localised lockdown is to come into force for Kildare, Laois and Offaly from midnight.

Main image: Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, at a COVID-19 briefing at the Department of Health, Dublin. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie