You won't be able to get your second dose if the sufficient time has not passed

Moderna aims to be next in line, saying it will submit its teen data to the US Food and Drug Administration and other global regulators early next month.

Moderna and vaccine promoter Gavi have announced a deal by which the pharmaceutical company will provide up to 500 million doses for the UN-backed Covax programme by the end of 2022.

Daily case numbers not dropping as quickly as they were in February

Moderna has produced a vaccine that works specifically against the South African variant of coronavirus, with trials due to start in the US.

All elderly patients will be invited individually to their appointments, and do not need to book slots

While recent evidence shows the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are more beneficial to those over 70, infectious disease expert Prof Karina Butler says they will not be ruling out the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on this age category

Moderna said laboratory tests found that vaccination with its jab produced neutralising antibodies against all key emerging variants, including the South African mutation.

Writing on Twitter, the minister said he was 'looking forward to signing the same for AstraZeneca soon'.

A mass vaccination programme is underway at a Cork city hospital this weekend in a bid to administer Covid-19 vaccines to 1,200 frontline healthcare workers.