A further 304 confirmed COVID cases have been announced this evening.

As of Wednesday, there were 47 coronavirus patients in Irish hospitals – an increase for the second day in a row, but still down 13% on the same day last week.

For the fourth day in a row, there were 13 patients in ICU.

The HSE continues to be impacted by the recent cyber attack and the “daily case numbers may change due to future data review, validation and update.”

The five-day moving average has fallen to 304.

Five-Day Moving Average. Image: Newstalk

On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, the HSE CCO Dr Colm Henry urged people not to not hold off getting a second vaccine dose, amid concerns some people are waiting to see if they're offered a different jab at a later date.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) is currently looking at proposals around mixing vaccines, to see if it could benefit the vaccine rollout in Ireland.

That would mean someone who got AstraZeneca as their first dose could get a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna.

Dr Henry said the "best bet" anyone can make is to take the second dose they're offered now.