“Covid-19 is still circulating in our community."
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Tony Holohan has said that it is "extremely important to adhere to public health advice amid concerns over the Delta Covid-19 variant.
He said that the virus is still "circulating in our community" as he urged people to exercise caution coming into the weekend.
“Covid-19 is still circulating in our community and as we come into weekend, it is extremely important that we continue to adhere to the public health advice to stop the spread of the disease," he said.
“If you are not yet fully vaccinated and you plan to socialise, please do so safely and meet outdoors. Please avoid crowds, wear a mask where appropriate, wash your hands, manage your contacts and maintain your social distance.
"If you develop symptoms of Covid-19 over the weekend, make sure to arrange a test as soon as possible and don’t put it off until Monday to contact your GP or attend a testing centre."
It comes as 534 new cases of the virus were confirmed across Ireland. Meanwhile, the number of people in intensive care units remained unchanged at 17 and 58 people are in hospital.
HSE Chief
Paul Reid said that the Delta variant will "out match" the supply of Covid-19 vaccines in Ireland over the coming weeks.
Speaking at a Department of Health press briefing on Thursday, Reid said that people who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated need to be very careful amid concerns over the Delta strain of the virus.
“Our most likely scenario is that the spread of Delta will out match our supply of vaccines over the coming weeks," he said.
"It's really key that we do take it quite serious and treat it with the concern it deserves."
