Ireland’s Covid stats gets updates while vaccine rollout continues strong

Forty-six people have died from Covid in almost three months since the cyberattack on Ireland’s Health Service System – but officials are pleased with the progress of the vaccination system.

Almost 20,000 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the two weeks, 83 percent of whom were unvaccinated, chief medical officer Dr. Tony Holohan said.

“While 17 percent of these cases were in people who are doubly vaccinated, this is entirely in keeping with what we expect as an increasing proportion of our population get vaccinated,” he added.

“It’s important to remember that this does not mean vaccines are not effective. While they will not prevent every case, they provide excellent protection against severe disease and significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization.”

More than 77 percent of Irish adults are fully vaccinated and 89 percent of adults are partially vaccinated, according to Health Service Executive details.    

Niamh O’Beirne, the HSE’s head of testing and tracing, said most people who are fully vaccinated and have Covid-19 are reporting only mild symptoms.

She added, “Perversely, it is a sign of a good vaccine rollout because you will get more cases when you have got more and more people vaccinated.”

The Department of Health told The Irish Times that 46 people died as a result of Covid-19 between the HSE data breach on May 14 and August 3.

Because the breach is still under repair, daily death figures have not appeared on the HSE public statements.

Of those who died, 20 were aged 65-74, nine were 55-64, seven were aged between 75-84 and five were over 85.

Fewer than five deaths were recorded in people under the age of 54.