Vaccine roll-out hits one million milestone

Ireland's vaccine roll-out hit the one million milestone today with more than 15,000 doses per day administered on average over the past five days.

The focus of the vaccine rollout is currently on people aged over 70 and those between 16 and 69 with a medical condition that puts them at very high risk of severe disease from Covid-19.

HSE CEO Paul Reid said that this week Ireland administered “98per cent of vaccines received within the same week”.

Meanwhile, a further seven Covid-related deaths and 400 new cases of the disease have been notified to the Department of Health.

The incidence rate in Navan continues to be very high with figures today showing it is almost twice the national average.

In the fortnight to last Monday there were 103 new cases in the Navan electoral area - an incident rate of 294.9, compared to the national average of 157.1.

The number of new cases in other Meath areas in the same period were Ashbourne 76, Laytown/Bettystown 64, Kells 51, Ratoath 47 and Trim 31.

Three people were being treated for Covid-19 in Our Lady's Hospital Navan as of last night along with two suspected cases. There was one patient with the virus in critical care beds in Navan.

There were seven patients with the virus being treated in hospital in Drogheda, none of them in ICU beds.