High Covid vaccine uptake in Westmeath

Over 90 percent of adults in Westmeath have had a least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccines according to HSE figures.

In total, 92.1% of Westmeath's population over the age of 18 have had at least one Covid jab, giving the county the second highest uptake of the vaccine in the midlands after Roscommon, where the uptake rate is 93.4%. Laois (85.8%) has the lowest uptake in the region and the third lowest in the country. The uptake rates in Longford (88.5%) and Offaly (89.6%) are lower than the national average of 91.86%.

Nationally, Waterford (98.5%) has the highest vaccine uptake, followed by Carlow (97.7%), Tipperary (96.2%) and Wexford (96.1%).

The counties with the lowest uptakes Monaghan (81.9%) and Donegal (83.5%) have the highest infection rates in the country. However, Laois, which has the third lowest uptake, at the time of writing had the second lowest seven day infection rate in the country.

Clare (93.7% uptake) has the lowest seven day infection rate, while Waterford and Wexford, the counties with highest vaccine uptakes, have the third and fourth lowest infection rates respectively.

Although Ireland has one of the highest vaccination uptakes in the EU, the country currently also has one of the highest infection rates.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, on August 26 Ireland had the second highest 14 day incidence rate in the EU (496.57 per 100,000 people). Cyprus (602.59 per 100,000) had the highest.

However, while the infection rate is currently high, hospitalisation rates have remained relatively stable.

In a statement to the Irish Independent where the uptake figures were first published, the HSE says that, in general, there is a link between between lower vaccination rates and higher infection rates, as well as high vaccination rates and better outcomes.

“The risk of contracting and spreading the virus is greatly increased when you are not vaccinated and it is inevitable that areas with lower vaccination rates, albeit slight, will have a higher incidence rate of the virus.

“We know that the vaccine protects against severe illness and hospitalisation and we would encourage everyone who can to avail of it.”