The HSE lead for infection control and antimicrobial resistance, has warned that the vaccine "doesn't make you bulletproof".
Professor Martin Cormican said that the vaccine has provided a "floodwall for Ireland", but people still need to adhere to public health guidelines.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Prof Cormican said: "The vaccine is really important and it has made a huge difference to the risk of people ending up in hospital or in ICU, and it does reduce your risk of getting infection to some degree, but it doesn't make you bulletproof." He added that after the vaccine "you're much less likely to end up in ICU, you're much less likely to end up in hospital, but you can still get infection".