A further 2,066 COVID cases have been announced this evening.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre said the deaths of 26 COVID patients have been notified in the past week.

It takes the death toll in Ireland to 5,306.

This morning, there were 408 coronavirus patients in Irish hospitals – up 19% in the past week.

There were 69 in intensive care, which is one fewer than last week.

The five-day moving average has increased slightly to 1,643.

The five-day moving average. Image: Newstalk

The Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said two-thirds of the patients in intensive are not vaccinated.

“There has been fantastic uptake of COVID-19 vaccination over recent months,” he said.

“Unfortunately, there are still just under 300,000 adults who have not come forward for vaccination and a further 70,000 people have received just one dose of a two-dose schedule.

“The spread of disease in these 370,000 people is having a disproportionate impact on the profile of COVID-19 in our hospitals and intensive care units, with two out of every three people in intensive care not vaccinated.”

He set out a number of facts about vaccination to address people’s concerns, “given the extent of misinformation that is circulating.”

• All vaccines approved by the EMA and in use in Ireland are remarkably safe and effective against getting severe COVID-19
• The vaccine for COVID-19 cannot and will not give you COVID-19
• COVID-19 vaccines do not create or cause variants of the virus that causes COVID-19
• COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way
• There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility – in men or women
• Pregnant women with symptomatic COVID-19 may be more likely to be admitted to hospital, to need care in an ICU, and to die when compared with non-pregnant women. If you are pregnant, you should get a COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself and your baby from the virus. You can do this at any stage of your pregnancy. If you have questions you should talk to your obstetrician, midwife or GP about the risks and benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine
• Incidence of COVID-19 in Ireland is high and rising. Those who are not vaccinated are at high risk of contracting this virus and becoming severely unwell. The single most important thing you can do to protect yourself from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.

“Choosing to get vaccinated is an act of protection for yourself – it may save your life - but it is also an act of solidarity with others,” he said. “The more of us that get vaccinated, the safer we all are.”

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