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A further 1,508 cases of Covid-19 were reported in the State on Tuesday, according to the Department of Health.
The number of coronavirus patients being treated in hospital is 206, of which 33 are in ICU.
Speaking as the latest figures were reported, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “Covid-19 is circulating to a significant degree in the community, but the public’s ongoing adherence to public health advice, the high levels of vaccine uptake, and the ongoing community engagement with testing centres around the country is encouraging.
“We continue to see good levels of co-operation with contact tracing and we must maintain this in order to break chains of transmission and keep our families and communities safe.
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“Until you receive a result and if you receive a positive result from a PCR test, it is essential that you isolate and co-operate with contact tracing teams so that your close contacts can be informed.
“If you are a close contact of a person who has tested positive for Covid-19, please come forward for a PCR test immediately if you have any symptoms or are not yet fully vaccinated to help stop the spread of this disease.
Dr Holohan advised those experiencing fever, cough, cold/flu symptoms or a loss of taste or smell, to isolate immediately and seek a PCR test from a GP or online. “This is also important for those who are fully vaccinated as you can still transmit Covid-19,” he said.
Vaccination centres
Earlier, the director of the HSE’s vaccination campaign, Damien McCallion, said slots had been made available at Covid-19 vaccination centres this weekend for 12- to 15-year-olds.
Registration for this cohort will open on Thursday, with the first vaccines to be administered at the weekend, he told Newstalk Breakfast.
There will also be evening clinics along with appointments through a limited number of GPs and pharmacies. This was to facilitate parents who would have to accompany their children, he explained.
“We would be optimistic about the uptake in this age group,” he said.
It is anticipated that this cohort will have received their second doses by the middle to the end of September. “No one will be left behind,” said Mr McCallion.
Registration will be the initial approach for the campaign for the 12- to 15-year-olds, all information was available on the website www.hse.ie, he said, with the consent process online to facilitate families.
However, if this was not possible, the consent process could still be completed at the vaccination centre, at the GP or in the pharmacy, he said.
“We have moved as much of the consent process online so people could do it in advance. We are very conscious of people’s concerns,” he said.
Mr McCallion said people should take comfort from the fact that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) had been so “methodical” in its approach throughout the pandemic. Its strategy had been to look carefully at the evidence and it had made recommendations on the basis of the best international evidence.
“Follow the best medical advice,” he advised parents.