Ireland reports highest daily cases in current wave of COVID-19 infections

The Irish Department of Health on Friday reported 1,782 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highest daily figure recorded in Ireland since the current wave of infections hit the country in mid-July, reported Xinhua.

"Disease incidence remains high and is continuing to increase, particularly in younger age cohorts, with a seven-day average of around 1,300," said the Irish Cabinet Committee on COVID-19 in a statement issued after its meeting on Friday morning to review the pandemic situation and the vaccination program in the country.

On July 17, Ireland reported more than 1,000 new cases, a daily level that has not been seen since this February, and the daily number of cases in the country has since then remained above the 1,000 level for more than 20 days in a row.

"While incidence of serious illness and hospitalisations is lower than previous waves, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in hospital is steadily increasing, with 193 in hospital and 28 in ICU (intensive care units), as of this morning," read the statement.

According to the statement, over 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland and 3.2 million people in the country have received the first dose while 2.85 million people have been fully vaccinated.

"The level of uptake across all age groups in Ireland is high by international comparisons. Nearly 85 percent of people aged 16 and over have either registered or received at least one dose of vaccine," said the statement.

At the end of July, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin tweeted that 72.4 percent of adults in Ireland have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, higher than the figure of 72.1 percent in Britain.

"Vaccination offers a significant level of protection from COVID-19 for individuals and the population as a whole," said the statement, adding that "the effectiveness of vaccination is now clearly apparent in the lower levels of severe disease, hospitalisations, ICU admissions and mortality during the current wave."