Vulnerable people expected to be moved up vaccine priority list

Ireland is on course to be able to administer over one million doses of the vaccine every month from April, as more vaccine supply becomes available. Picture: Nick Potts/PA 

Thousands of people between 18 and 64 with an underlying illness are expected to be moved up the country's vaccine priority list.

The final details are being worked on, with the Health Minister set to bring a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday, following updated advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.

Meanwhile, latest figures as of last Thursday, February 18, show almost 206,000 first doses of vaccine have been administered here, along with more than 120,000 second doses.

Speaking to Newstalk, Dr Lucy Jessop, director of the HSE's National Immunisation Office, said recent supply problems won't be an issue in the months to come as more vaccines are approved by regulators. 

"We do know that there will be quite a ramp-up of supply in the second quarter and obviously we may well have the Johnson and Johson vaccine authorised in the mid-March time, which then might be available for the second quarter as well," Dr Jessop said. 

I think that indications are good that we should have a large amount — more vaccine in quarter two — which is really good news for us. 

Yesterday at a HSE mass vaccination clinic in Dublin City University (DCU) more than 80 GP practices came together to vaccinate almost 1,000 people in the 85-plus age category.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid has said a fifth of over-85s will have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by today. 

"Well we started the vaccination programme just this week for the 85-plusses. By the end of this week we will have vaccinated over 13,000, about 13,500 of the 85-plusses," Mr Reid said.

"There is a total population for that age of about 72,500, and they will all have received their first vaccination between this week and the next two weeks."

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has defended the pace of Ireland's vaccination programme and said the country has one of the fastest rollouts in the European Union (EU). 

The minister said Ireland is on course to be able to administer over one million doses every month from April, as more vaccine supply becomes available.

Mr Donnelly was speaking as he visited the mass vaccination clinic, describing the events at DCU as a “hugely positive development".

"It's been the most brutal, hard year for people with so much loss, so much suffering, and to see this today, this is the light at the end of the tunnel," he said.