Ireland will take spare Covid vaccines from 'wherever we can get them' - Minister

A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. File picture: PA Wire

The Minister for Public Expenditure has said Ireland will take spare vaccines from “wherever we can get them”.

Michael McGrath added that if the Russian vaccine is approved, Ireland will be interested in it.

On Sunday, Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster said she believes UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson should have a conversation with Taoiseach Micheál Martin about the possibility of surplus vaccines being given to the Republic.

The North started its vaccine rollout earlier than Ireland as part of the UK programme.

Speaking to 96FM’s The Opinion Line with PJ Coogan, Mr McGrath said that the country will take spare vaccines where possible.

“We will take spare vaccines from wherever we can get them, provided they have been approved by the European Medicines Agency.” 

However, Mr McGrath highlighted that the countries who are further ahead in their vaccine rollout are not yet at the stage of having spare vaccines that they are offering up.

“We are asking around, and we are of course pursuing every opportunity” to get vaccines, Mr McGrath added.

His comments came as Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said that the Government should consider asking the UK for spare vaccine doses.

When asked if the country could approve vaccines as a nation, independent of the EU, Mr McGrath said that it was a risky strategy.

He said that Ireland has been served well by entering into the coordinated purchasing agreements with the EU.

“A small country like Ireland may not have been able to secure as much supply of vaccine.

“We have 18 million doses on the way, enough for 10 million people. We now have a commitment that nearly four million doses will arrive in quarter two.

“The main issue is that the supply just isn’t there.” 

Minister for Public expenditure Michael McGrath. Picture: Julien Behal Photography

Mr McGrath added that Ireland is also interested in the Russian Covid-19 vaccine.

He added that this was provided it is approved by the EMA.

Interim data – published last month – from the phase three trial of the Russian vaccine, Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), suggests a two-dose regimen of the vaccine offers 91.6% efficacy.

The EMA announced last week that it has started a “rolling review” of Sputnik V.

Addressing criticisms of the pace of Ireland’s vaccine rollout, Mr McGrath said that within European terms the country is “one of the better performers”.

The Cork minister assured people that the Government has “spared no resource in sourcing vaccines from where’ve we can”.

Mr McGrath added: “We’ve signed up to every opportunity to get vaccines and I have assured [Health Minister] Stephen Donnelly and [HSE Chief] Paul Reid that what ever they need to do to get them out as quickly as possible will be done.

“The resources will be provided to do that.” 

Over the weekend, the country reached half a million coronavirus vaccinations.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin hailed progress in the pandemic, tweeting on Saturday afternoon that he had been informed by the HSE that the country had passed the half-million mark.