IRELAND has the second best vaccine uptake rate in the European Union (EU), the latest figures have shown.
Of the people to have been offered a Covid-19 vaccine in Ireland, 80.7% have accepted it.
Only Malta can boast a higher acceptance rate, with 87.8% of their population accepting the vaccine.
Following closely behind Ireland is Belgium, with an uptake rate of 80.6%, while Portugal and Denmark complete the top five.
In France, uptake sits at just 65.8%, while in Germany, 65.6% have accepted the jab.
The country with the lowest rate in the EU is Bulgaria, with a mere 18.6% of the population willing to accept the vaccine.
Uptake of vaccines in the EU Aug 16th 2021 pic.twitter.com/bxj9QMr2Aa
— Luke O'Neill (@laoneill111) August 16, 2021
Ireland's vaccination programme has been moving from strength to strength over the past two or three months, and HSE chief Paul Reid revealed that over 90% of Irish adults have now received at least one jab, and that 82% of everyone above the age of 16 is now fully vaccinated.
Earlier this year, a study revealed that Ireland has the lowest vaccine hesitancy rate in all of Europe, with 89% of people saying they were planning to accept the vaccine when it was offered to them.
Results from the study suggested that extensive information about vaccines, and the impact they have on patients, has greatly reduced vaccine hesitancy, which was higher in 2020.
Even as early as January, before Ireland's vaccination programme kicked into gear, a study showed that 7% were planning to refuse the vaccine, while a whopping 18% said they were unsure - giving Ireland a vaccine hesitancy rate of 25%.
