More than 70% of all cases in Ireland are now Delta variant – CMO
DUBLIN: Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan said the Delta variant of COVID-19 now accounts for more than 70% of all cases in Ireland.
The CMO released the latest figure after the Department of Health confirmed 365 new COVID-19 cases in the country. There are 51 patients in the hospital with the virus, 14 of them are in the intensive care unit.
“While this variant continues to present a threat, those of us who are fully vaccinated can have confidence in their vaccine and should feel comfortable meeting with other fully vaccinated people in all settings,” Dr. Holohan said.
However, he added that people who are unvaccinated or waiting for a second dose of vaccine are still at risk. He urged them to continue to follow public health guidelines, manage contacts, avoid crowds, wear masks, wash their hands, and, most importantly, get the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available.
Professor Brian MacCraith, chair of the High-Level Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccination, has said that Ireland’s vaccination program is making “quite significant advances’”.
Earlier today, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that by the end of today, half of the adult population in the country will have been fully vaccinated.
He said more than 4.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to date. This includes 49.6%of adults who have been fully vaccinated, as well as 67% of adults who have gotten their first dose.
“By the end of today half our adult population will have full vaccination. This will continue to grow in the days and weeks ahead. It’s important that everyone continues to ensure they get their second dose,” Minister Donnelly tweeted.
Today, over 750 pharmacies across the country began administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to adults aged 18 to 34. The Health Minister said that the vaccination programme has been accelerated and people aged 18 to 34 can now get their shot up to two months earlier.
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