Plan is for 'final three groups' on priority list to be vaccinated by 'end of Quarter 3' says Health Minister

The HSE announced a provisional order in which people will be vaccinated last month.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that by the end of Quarter 2 cohorts one to 12 on the prioritisation list will have been vaccinated.

The HSE announced a provisional order in which people will be vaccinated last month.

People aged 65 years and older who are residents of long-term care facilities are currently being vaccinated as well as health care workers.

People aged over 65, people aged 18-64 with certain medical conditions, key workers, people working in the education sector and people aged 55 to 64 are included in the first 12 steps of the list.


Speaking on Newstalk’s Pat Kenny show, the Minister said that the plan was that by the end of Quarter 3 the final three groups on the list will have been vaccinated.

This includes other workers in “occupations important to the functioning of society”, other people aged 18-54 and people aged under 18 and pregnant women.
 

“The strategy is to maximise the vaccines coming into the country and then have a delivery programme that we get them straight into people's arms.

“We believe the best way of doing that is with the EU.” 


Extra doses agreed with Pfizer on Tuesday and the possibility of authorisation of the AstraZeneca vaccine would mean an additional three million doses in Quarter 3 which could see 1.8 million people vaccinated.


“The planning is that by the end of Quarter 3 the final three groups would be vaccinated.”
 

Buying through the EU gives Ireland far more access to vaccines than “if we went off as a small country and tried to do it alone.”