Deputy CMO encourages people to take vaccine as 319 cases of Covid-19 recorded

The Department of Health has reported a further 319 cases of Covid-19.

There are a total of 60 people in hospital and 23 in ICU.

The Department has advised that daily case numbers may change due to future data review and validation.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said that there is “increasing concern” in recent weeks regarding the spread of the Delta variant in the UK.

The variant now accounts for over 90% of cases in the UK, with a doubling time, in some areas, as low as 4.5 days.

The public health advice remains that people should not travel to Great Britain at this time and, for anyone returning from Great Britain, it is vital that you quarantine and get tested.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, said that the profile of Covid-19 has continued to improve nationally over the last week but encouraged “everyone to take the vaccine when it is offered to them”.

“While incidence in Limerick, in particular, remains very high (14-day incidence 451/100,000 population; 879 cases over the past fortnight) it is clear that there has been a concerted effort by all to arrest this pattern.

However, over the coming days, it remains very important that people nationally, but particularly in Limerick, continue to adhere to core protective measures-meet outdoors, avoid crowds, keep distance from others & come forward for testing if you have any concerns.

"Our continued adherence to the public health advice, along with our excellent uptake of the vaccine continues to give great hope and is one more example of the vast majority of people acting in solidarity with one another,” he said.