Covid-19: Hard-hit Monaghan, Donegal have lowest inoculation rate

Monaghan and Donegal, the two counties with the highest Covid-19 incidence, have the lowest rates of vaccination against the disease, new figures show.

Just 83.5 per cent of the adult population of Monaghan had received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine by last Sunday, according to the most up-to-date tally by the Health Service Executive.

Monaghan has the highest incidence in the State, with 1,276 cases per 100,000 people over the past 14 days, more than twice the national average.

Donegal had the second lowest take-up of the vaccine, with 84.7 per cent of those aged 18 and over being at least partially vaccinated. Laois had the third lowest vaccination rate, at 86.8 per cent, with Dublin coming in fourth lowest.

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Donegal has the second-highest incidence, at 1,025 cases per 100,000 people.

Waterford has the highest vaccination rate, at 99.4 per cent, followed by Carlow, at 98.6 per cent.

Waterford, meanwhile, has the second lowest incidence of the virus, after Wexford.

EU ranking

In total, 20 of the 26 counties have at least 90 per cent of their population partially vaccinated, with the national average standing at 92.2 per cent.

According to the HSE, Ireland ranks third in the European Union for the proportion of the population with at least one dose of vaccine. Portugal is the most highly vaccinated country in the EU, with 95.6 per cent coverage, followed by France. Germany has the lowest take-up, at 77.8 per cent.

One in five Irish children (21 per cent) is at least partially vaccinated, and four out of every five young adults in the 18 to 24-year age-group (81 per cent).

The average take-up in the EU in these two age-groups is 13 per cent and 59 per cent respectively.

The proportion of at least partially vaccinated people in Ireland is higher than the EU average for all age-groups.