217 patients with the disease are hospitalised, of which 34 are in ICU.
The Chief Medical Officer says there have been almost 20,000 cases in the past fortnight.
Dr Tony Holohan says while 17 per cent of the cases are in people who are double vaccinated, this is entirely in keeping with what is expected as an increasing proportion of the population get vaccinated.
He says while vaccines won't prevent every case, they provide excellent protection against severe disease and significantly reduce the risk of hospitalisation.
