Press Association
The Department of Health has confirmed 512 more positive Covid cases in the Republic.
The latest figures show there are 46 people in hospital with the disease, including 14 in intensive care.
Earlier it was announced that people aged 18 to 34 could receive their coronavirus vaccine up to two months early under an accelerated programme announced by the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly.
People aged 18 to 34 can now “opt in” for the AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson jabs, or choose to wait for an mRNA vaccine such as Pfizer or Moderna.
The opt-in system will run in parallel with the online registration portal, which will open for the 30 to 34-year-old age cohort next Friday.
Mr Donnelly told the Dáil that “a significant acceleration of the vaccine programme” will begin from Monday.
He said: “In short, the changes that we’re implementing from Monday will mean that the 18 to 34-year-old age group will have the option of being vaccinated one to two months early.
“And that would have been really, really welcome regardless of the Delta variant and this surge, but particularly in light of the modelling we saw from Professor Nolan’s team as to what is likely to happen here through August and September in particular.
“To be able to pull forward a huge number of people from September to August, and some from August into July, is incredibly valuable.
“It’s really going to help us protecting each other and protect our population from the Delta surge that we know is coming.”
Delta variant
It comes after chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan warned a fourth wave of Covid-19, driven by the Delta variant, cannot be stopped, and will lead to higher levels of hospital admissions and death.
The accelerated vaccine rollout will fail to halt an exponential rise in cases in July and August, he said, but should help bring the situation under control in September.
Meanwhile, there have been another 339 confirmed Covid cases in the North.
One death has been reported in the past 24 hours.
Twenty-six patients are in hospital and two are in intensive care.
