304 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported by NPHET.
47 coronavirus patients are being treated in hospital, with the number in intensive care unchanged at 13.
210 confirmed cases of the Delta variant have been identified in Ireland so far.
The HSE is warning there’s nothing to stop it becoming the dominant strain here.
The variant, which is more transmissible that other strains, is estimated to account for 20% of all confirmed cases detected here.
There’s concerns locally that it’s on the rise in Carlow, which has the second highest incidence rate in the country at 188 per 100,000, according to the latest figures released by NPHET for the first half of this month.
The HSE says we’re in a much stronger position to fight the strain than we were at the beginning of the year, as a result of the vaccination programme.
But Carlow Cllr Brian O’Donoghue says he’s encountering a worrying increase in vaccine hesitancy from young people in the county.
