A further 448 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed this afternoon, along with two more deaths
It brings the total number of deaths in the country so far to 5,000
The cases were confirmed by the Department of Health this evening.
Meanwhile, Stephen Donnelly has said that the online vaccination registration portal will open for those aged between 30 and 34 at the "end of next week".
Currently, the vaccine rollout is working through those aged 35 and above - with over 1.1 million doses having been administered to the cohort so far, according to the latest HSE data.
But it seems that in the next 10 days or so, the portal will allow the next grouping to register.
Mr Donnelly tweeted on Thursday afternoon: "The progress in our COVID-19 Vaccination programme continues. AstraZeneca 2nd doses for those aged 60-69 to be completed in coming weeks. 351,000 vaccines administered. Planning to open registration for those age 30-34 towards the end of next week."
The news will come as a huge relief to those awaiting the jab.
As cases remain relatively low despite the worrying increase in numbers of the Delta variant, Ireland will continue to reopen with caution.
The reopening of indoor hospitality has been delayed while the government creates a system by which people can prove their 'Covid status'.
In the meantime, the vaccination rollout will gather momentum to get as many people vaccinated as possible to protect them against the more transmissible Delta strain.
