Varadkar says engagement is best way to deal with anti-vaccine movement

A member of medical staff prepares a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at The Vaccination Hub at Croydon University Hospital, south London, on the first day of the largest immunisation programme in the UK's history. Care home workers, NHS staff and people aged 80 and over began receiving the jab this morning.

The Tánaiste has described yesterday’s vaccine news as “a day of hope” while adding that engagement is the best way to deal with concerns around the jab.

Leo Varadkar said that the intention will be to offer a vaccine to every in the country free of charge, but it will not be compulsory.

He agreed that an anti-vaccine movement is running strongly, but said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland that vaccines “are safe and effective”.

He said that the best way to address anyone with concerns was not to browbeat them but to engage and reassure people offering information and answering questions.

Mr Varadkar said that 2020 gave people a taste of what the world was like before vaccines.

Yesterday, Health Minister Stephen Donnolly announced the order in which different sections of society will receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

On Tuesday, a 90-year-old originally from Northern Ireland became the first woman in the world to get a vaccine outside of a clinical trial. Margaret Keenan received the vaccine in Coventry in the UK.

The first vaccine on the island of Ireland was also given on Tuesday.

Joanna Sloan a sister in charge of Covid vaccination for the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust received a vaccine yesterday.

Mr Varadkar predicted that with the vaccine and the addition of mass testing and knowledge of the virus, we could “see the end of the pandemic in 2021”.

When asked about people travelling home for Christmas, Mr Varadkar asked people to follow advice and to use the traffic light system.

Mr Varadkar caused distress when he said that people should not fly home for Christmas last month.

Today, he said it would be safer for people not to travel fro red zones, but that he appreciates that some people may have to travel fro different family reasons.