Harry Brent – The Irish Post Oct 19, 2021

Co. WATERFORD has the second highest Covid-19 incidence rate in the country despite the fact that it also has the highest vaccine uptake percentage.

99.7% of all adults in the county have been fully vaccinated against the virus, but according to figures released by the HSE, Waterford’s 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 of population currently stands at 404.6.

This is topped only by Co. Carlow, with an incidence rate of 405.7 per 100,000 of population.

Co. Waterford has recorded 470 new cases of Covid-19 in the last week, accounting for nearly 5% of the adult population.

While vaccination remains an important method of preventing serious illness when contracting Covid-19, it’s notable that Waterford’s high vaccine uptake hasn’t prevented the county from having one of the country’s highest incidence rates.

Last month, it emerged that Co. Monaghan had the lowest vaccine uptake of any county in Ireland, and simultaneously had the country’s worst 14-day incidence rate.

As of Monday, 7.2 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the country.

74% of Ireland’s total population is now fully vaccinated against the virus, accounting for around 3.7 million people, while 88% of the population eligible for vaccination (over the age of 12) has now been fully vaccinated.

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