The Lancet Infectious Disease report shows risk of emergency care visits or hospital admission was also 1.5 times higher for people infected with the delta variant compared to the alpha mutation.
It comes as 1,875 new cases of covid-19 have been confirmed here, with 311 patients in hospital, including 59 in ICU.
Trinity College Dublin Associate Professor Tomás Ryan says the Taoiseach's prediction 90 per cent of the population will be vaccinated by September 6th isn't accurate:
"The government has a very optimistic set of relaxations that are going to happen and the plan is all about having 90% immunity, but what they really mean is 90% immunity in the adult population which is only 70% of the total population. Vaccines on their own won't start to really reduce transmission, until we get to 90% of the entire population; that includes children."
