LATEST: Holohan appeals to unvaccinated as 1,314 new cases of virus confirmed

A further 1,314 people have contracted the coronavirus, according to latest figures from the Department of Health.

There are currently 187 in hospital being treated with the virus, of whom 30 are in ICU.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan this evening encouraged people who are eligible for vaccination but have not yet recieved the jab to do so “as soon as they can”.

Dr Holohan said “full vaccination is the best protection” against Covid-19. And he added: “It is important to remember that infections in vaccinated people do not mean that vaccines do not work.

“While no vaccine is 100% effective in this way, these breakthrough infections that occur are generally much less severe, and they are associated with less risk of hospitalisation,” he said.

In a statement this evening, Dr Holohan said  vaccines are “our road out of this pandemic”.

He added: “Vaccination enables protection of the whole community, including the most vulnerable. Getting vaccinated is an important preventative tool personally, but it is also an act of solidarity from an individual to wider society – an act that keeps one another protected, and ensures the continued safe reopening of our society and economy.”