There have been 1,098 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported today, according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

A total of 163 Covid-19 patients are in hospital of which 26 are in intensive care units (ICU). 

The figures come as young people continue to be the majority age group queuing up at walk-in vaccination clinics to receive a Covid-19 jab. 

Yesterday, 10,000 people attended the forty walk-in clinics set up across the country, according to HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry. 

The walk-in clinics have been opened for the bank holiday weekend. Some began inoculating on Friday, the majority begun yesterday and today and half will remain open tomorrow. 

“The younger generation are now shoring up the vaccine floodwall,” Dr Henry said, adding that there was “ongoing heavy demand for walk-in centres, over 10,000 attend yesterday with 20 centres providing facility today and tomorrow.”

People can check hse.ie for local details and opening times for walk-in vaccine centres.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid told RTÉ News that of the 10,000 people who attended the walk-in centres , around 5,000 would not have been registered on the HSE’s portal, and around two-thirds of them were under the age of 19.

"There were people across all ages coming through, with one 83-year-old coming into our centre in Sligo," he added.

Although the walk-in clinics were originally only planned for this bank holiday weekend, Mr Reid said they will consider doing them again as they have been so successful. 

When asked about the possible future closure of mass vaccination centres as 87pc of the adult population are partially vaccinated and almost 76pc are fully vaccinated, Mr Reid said towards winter there will no longer be 43 mass vaccination centres. 

He added that the HSE is looking ahead to how it will administer booster Covid-19 vaccines, and that it will likely be done in conjunction with the flu vaccine. 

The HSE boss said he was “blown away” by the attendance seen at the walk-in clinics. 

"We've been blown away by the response yesterday, and the number of people showing up at the walk-in centres,” he said.

"We knew it was going to be a good opportunity for people who hadn't had the opportunity to come in to have their vaccination... but particularly the [number of] young people who've come forward has really blown us away."

Anyone over the age of 16 who has not yet received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine can present to one of the walk-in vaccination centres to be jabbed.

The vaccine that is being offered at the walk-in centres is Pfizer, which requires two doses.

A full list of vaccination centres that are accepting walk-ins and what time’s can be viewed here.