A further 1,345 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic on Monday.
The majority of the new cases are in those under the age of 45. There were 141 people hospitalised with the disease as of this morning, with 25 in intensive care.
The country's deputy chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, said: “87 per cent of cases today are in those aged less than 45 years.
“If you are awaiting your vaccine or are awaiting your second dose, continue to protect yourself by following public health advice.”
On Monday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has made a direct appeal to young people to get vaccinated as the number of cases linked to the Delta variant soars.
#COVIDVaccine registration is open for people aged 18-24. You'll need a:
👤PPSN
📍Eircode
📱mobile number
✉️email address to register.
Register here ➡️ https://t.co/nTNxEJWWWr
#ForUsAll pic.twitter.com/rxMaC6UzAa— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) July 21, 2021
Everyone over the age of 18 can currently register for a vaccine, and the Government hopes the majority of young adults will be fully vaccinated before the start of the new academic year.
Mr Martin said the HSE will shortly open its portal for secondary school students and those aged 16 to 18.
As further restrictions were lifted on Monday amid cases continuing to rise, the Government is under pressure to have as many teenagers vaccinated before pupils return to the classroom.
“I would appeal to the age cohorts who can register on the portal – please take up the opportunity of getting vaccinated,” Mr Martin said.
“We are registering for the 18 to 25-year-olds and shortly we will be opening for 16 to 18-year-olds.
“We would appeal to those age cohorts to take the opportunity of getting your vaccine.
“That will help us defeat this.”
'New phase of the pandemic'
Monday saw the reopening of indoor dining in pubs and restaurants, with Mr Martin saying it is the Government’s intention not to go back on its reopening plans.
“We have been very agile throughout the pandemic,” he added.
“We’ve had to make different moves at different times. On this occasion, it’s different because we have people vaccinated. That is a powerful weapon.
“This is a new phase of the pandemic and in every phase we have to be agile enough to respond, people have to adhere to guidance and regulations.
“The ideal scenario is a continued rollout of the vaccination programme, combined with sensible, precautionary behaviour on all our part.
The rollout of #COVIDVaccines in Ireland is well underway. But vaccines are not available in all nations. Learn more about @unicefireland's
'Get a Vaccine Give a Vaccine' campaign on our staff website: https://t.co/jX7V2FJrJi #GetAVaccineGiveAVaccine pic.twitter.com/gKLPUhrlCA— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) July 25, 2021
“That’s where we can defeat this virus.
“It’s been an extraordinary vaccination programme to all concerned, (we are) making very rapid progress.”
More than 5.5 million doses of the Covid-19 have administered across Ireland. Almost 70 per cent of the population is now fully vaccinated, and almost 80 per cent has received the first of two doses.
Mr Martin said he spoke to the deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn about the reopening of schools in September.
He said the Government and the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) are “fully committed” to schools reopening.
