North Waterford district has highest rate of Covid-19 in State

A district in north Waterford has the highest rate of Covid-19 in the country, according to the latest figures.

The Portlaw-Kilmacthomas local authority area (LEA), which borders Tipperary, had a 14-day incidence rate of 2,400.7 cases per 100,000 up to last Monday.

Figures also released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) demonstrate Waterford also has the highest rate of vaccine uptake in the State with 98.1 per cent of the eligible population over the age of 12 fully vaccinated.

The national average for the same period in the 14 days to December 6th was 1,355.1 up from 1,316 per 100,000 for the fortnight to November 29th.

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Mullingar was the second worst with an incidence rate of 2,315.1 cases per 100,000 followed by Donaghmede in Dublin (2,031.6), Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart (1,999.6), Rush-Lusk (1,969.8) and Nenagh (1,960.4). Donaghmede had the highest rate of infection in last week's figures.

Manorhamilton in Leitrim has the lowest rate of Covid-19 in the State (388.1) with Adare-Rathkeale (606.3) and Kenmare (622.5), the next lowest.

The rampant nature of Covid-19 in the State is reflected in the figures with the vast majority of LEAs in the eastern half of the country having a 14-day incidence rate of greater than 1,000 per 100,000 which equates to one person in 100 testing positive for Covid-19 in the previous fortnight.

Wexford (96.5 per cent), Wicklow (96.1 per cent), Tipperary (95.9) and Sligo (95.8 per cent) have the highest rates of vaccination in the country after Waterford.

Donegal (83 per cent) and Monaghan (also 83 per cent) have the lowest rates followed by Laois (86.2 per cent) and Dublin (87.9 per cent).