Where are the hotspots and how do they compare to Ireland?

Europe is facing a new surge in Covid infections and hospitalizations despite high vaccination levels in many countries.

Some countries in Eastern Europe are experiencing record outbreaks, even as the shifting delta wave has subsided and many countries have resumed trade and tourism.

Eastern Europe has among Lowest vaccination rates in the region. More than half of all new infections reported worldwide are now from countries in Europe, according to a Reuters analysis.

The latest figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control show that Latvia has the highest infection rate in Europe.

The country of 1.9 million people reported 1,757 new cases per 100,000 people on a two-week basis.

About 61 percent of adults in Latvia are fully vaccinated, below the European Union average of 75 percent.

The country was the first in the European Union to return to lockdown this fall as Covid cases rose, and has asked other EU members for medical help as temporary medical facilities have been installed in its hospital halls and garages.

Estonia has the second highest rate on the continent, with 1,660 cases per 100,000.

Ireland has reported 640 cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days.

The countries with the lowest infection rates are Malta (36), Spain (44), and Italy (76). The European average is 306 cases per 100,000.

The Scottish islands, Wales and southeast Ireland are among the regions with the highest rates of Covid in Britain and Ireland, according to official data compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Orkney in northern Scotland had the highest rate, reporting 1,143 cases per 100,000 over the past two weeks.

Most Irish regions now have higher infection rates than many English or Scottish regions, according to WHO data.

London has a 14-day average of 492 cases per 100,000, compared to 813 in the Dublin area.

It comes as governments across Ireland and Britain try to get through a difficult winter for health systems without further Covid restrictions or lockdowns.

In the republic, the government held talks with hospitality sector representatives on Tuesday in a bid to enforce rules on Covid vaccination permits and to discuss the risks associated with its wider reopening last month.

There are 3,578 additional COVID cases Reported In the state, Tuesday, while the number of people infected with the disease in hospitals reached 520.

In the North, Health Minister Robin Swan announced a public consultation on a proposal for cCompulsory vaccination for coronavirus and influenza For new workers in health and social care in the area.

Follows a decision in England to make a Covid vaccine A mandatory work requirement For those on the front lines of the country’s health services. Additional reporting: Reuters