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The pace at which Ireland s Covid-19 vaccination programme is rolled out is set to be ramped up from here on out , according to the HSE.
It comes as almost one third of the country s adult population has now received one dose of the inoculation.
As of Tuesday, 1,655,866 doses of the vaccine have been administered which includes 1,201,373 first doses and 454,493 second doses.
There is also increasing evidence that the chains of transmission of Covid-19 are being broken.
Ireland has one of the lowest coronavirus rates in the European Union, with only Portugal, Finland and Malta reporting rates lower than the rate of 127.51 cases per 100,000 people here.
Timeline for Covid vaccine age cohorts in Ireland and when people in their 20s, 30s and 40s are likely to get jab
The HSE said it will begin to vaccinate pregnant women and people in their 50s from next week
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A Xiamen Boson Biotech test being sold by Lidl. Picture: Lidl Ireland
Antigen tests are less sensitive than the PCR tests used by the HSE - however, they offer results in around half an hour.
They work in much the same way as the PCR: requiring a swab from the back of your nose or throat as a sample.
The sample is then applied to a paper strip with the result revealed as a band on the paper, similar to a home pregnancy test.
However Lidl is urging shoppers to continue to stringently follow the public health advice , and hopes that the tests add an extra level of reassurance .
Point of strong momentum as vaccine roll out ramps up rte.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rte.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
CMO very concerned over supermarket antigen tests rte.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rte.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.