“We are not going to stop this” Tony Holohan says Ireland is headed into ‘devastating’ fourth wave

45% of the population is now fully vaccinated

Dr Tony Holohan has confirmed Ireland is heading into a devastating fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The doctor stressed that the Delta variant now accounts for 70% of cases in Ireland. Speaking at last night's NPHET briefing, Holohan commented: "We are not going to stop this happening. This variant has sufficient in the way of fitness to become dominant across Europe. It’s a question of when rather than if." “We are facing a significant wave of Delta driven transmission. We are in the same position as all the rest of western Europe," he announced. It is believed the Delta variant is twice as infectious as previous variants. There are currently 44 Covid-19 patients in hospital, with 14 people in intensive care. The median age of people testing positive for Covid-19 is 26, proving the vaccines are working. 45% of the population is now fully vaccinated. Ireland's death toll has now reached 5000. The news comes after Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced that pharmacies will start issuing Jansenn vaccines to 18-34 years olds on July 5. https://twitter.com/VirginMediaNews/status/1410734970067369985 He added that 18-34 year olds can register online from July 12 and opt in if they’d like to get an AstraZeneca or Janssen vaccine in a vaccine centre. Ireland's re-opening plan came to a halt earlier this week when An Taoiseach announced a delay to indoor dining. Communions and confirmations have also been cancelled. Speaking of the reasoning behind the decision, Ronan Glynn shared: "The issue is all the socialization, household mixing that happens around those events. I know people don't want to hear it, but those social events linked to Communions and Confirmations, are leading to cases and outbreaks."