First vaccines to be administered on December 30 - Donnelly

Stephen Donnelly said frontline healthcare workers and nursing homes will be vaccinated first.

The health minister has confirmed the first Covid-19 vaccines will be administered on December 30.

Stephen Donnelly said frontline healthcare workers and nursing home residents will be vaccinated first.

Earlier the Taoiseach said the approval of the first vaccine for use in Ireland had offered hope.

“As despondent as any of us might feel with the return of restrictions, it is important to remember that the hope is real, there is light at the end of this tunnel,” Micheál Martin said.

“Vaccines are on the way, last night I received confirmation that we will shortly receive delivery of almost 10,000 vaccines against this disease.

“The roll-out of these will commence next week to our most vulnerable and we will safely and swiftly build from there.” 

Meanwhile, Mr Donnelly has said that today’s Covid figures will be “in excess of 900” while one week ago they were just 329.

Cases have been growing in the past week faster than NPHET’s worst-case prediction, he told RTÉ radio’s News at One.

Last Thursday he had received a letter from the Chief Medical Officer recommending a move to Level 3 restrictions after Christmas, but on Monday the CMO had again written to him calling for a move to Level 5.

“Keeping people safe is the priority.” 

The figures were “going up” so quickly that the question now was this the same variation as recently identified in the UK, he said. 

The strain could already be in the country but this could not be confirmed until tests were concluded.

Mr Donnelly said it was important that everybody heeds public health advice and reduce the number of contacts.

“We’re going to put the measures in place, but we are asking people to keep each other safe.”