Revealed: The counties with highest and lowest vaccine uptake

In Cork, 95.5% of adults are fully vaccinated while 93.5% of over-12s are vaccinated. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

There are 10 counties where more than 10% of the population are not yet fully vaccinated.

According to the latest data, just three counties boast a vaccination rate above 95% among eligible people.

Figures up to the start of last week show Waterford has the highest uptake rate with 96.6% of over 12s fully vaccinated.

Other counties topping the list include Carlow with 96.4% and Wexford with 95% while Wicklow, Tipperary and Sligo all have 94% of their population fully vaccinated.

The HSE figures released to Newstalk show that Monaghan has the lowest uptake rate at 80.9% followed by Donegal on 81.3% and Laois on 84.7%.

Those three counties are also at the bottom of the table when it comes to first doses.

Monaghan GP Aideen Brides believes the rate may be higher as many people received their jab across the border.

Dr Brides said a lot of people in the county might have been born in Northern Ireland but are now living in Monaghan or they may have a social security number in the North.

"Northern Ireland were ahead of Ireland in terms of rolling out their first doses so a lot of people who are actually residing in both Monaghan and Donegal would probably have been eligible for a vaccine across the border."

In five other counties - Dublin, Offaly, Longford, Cavan and Kilkenny - more than one in 10 people eligible for a vaccine have not gotten one.

In Cork, 95.5% of adults are fully vaccinated while 93.5% of over-12s are vaccinated.

The HSE is continuing to use pop-up clinics and targeted local campaigns to try and get more people to come forward.

It is also trying to reach people whose first language is not English to provide information about the vaccination rollout.

Nightclubs partly to blame for rise in cases - former HSE chief 

Clubbers at Tramline Nightclub in Dublin, after the easing of coronavirus restrictions meant that nightclubs in Ireland could open. Picture: Garrett White/PA Wire

As case numbers continue to surge, a former head of the HSE has said the government should consider re-imposing restrictions.

Yesterday, 3,726 cases were recorded - the highest since January 14. It brings to 11,500 cases recorded over the past four days.

The 14-day incidence rate has risen by 18% in the past week - and now stands at 695 per 100,000 people.

As of 8am this morning, there are 460 Covid-positive patients in Irish hospitals. This is the third consecutive day hospitalisations have fallen on the previous day.

It is the lowest total since October 23 and a drop of 8% on last Wednesday.

There are currently 90 people with the virus in ICU.

Former director-general of the HSE, Tony O'Brien, believes it is partly due to nightclubs reopening recently.

Given that this current spike has occurred a week and a half after clubs reopened, Mr O'Brien said it is something that needs to be looked into.

"If there is evidence available to government that tells them what type of activities are behind or are the underlying cause of this level of infection then I think they need to look at that very quickly and take decisions quickly before the situation becomes completely untenable."

Mr O'Brien warned that there can be no further easing of restrictions given the current situation.

"The government will have to take a very hard look at whether it can sustain the current situation given the pressures that will exist on the health service," he said.

"I think if this continues they will have to consider reversing some of the recent relaxations."

Chief Clinical Officer with the HSE, Dr Colm Henry, admitted that hospitals are under sustained pressure but said vaccines are protecting against serious illness in many cases.

The jump in the number of cases reported and the 14-day incidence rate is a cause for worry but he said the protection the vaccine is giving people is holding tight.

"Even though are hospitals are under sustained pressure, we haven't seen a corresponding rise in hospitalisation or in people being admitted to ICU with Covid," said Dr Henry.

Despite the rapid rise in cases over the past two weeks, he said there is still predominantly a message of hope.