Tánaiste: Johnson & Johnson vaccine will not arrive in Ireland until April
The single-dose Covid-19 vaccine is set to be approved by the European Medicines Agency but it will not arrive here until early April, the Fine Gael parliamentary party was told. Picture: Cheryl Gerber/Johnson & Johnson via AP
The single-dose Johnson & Johnson jab will not arrive in Ireland until next month.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party that it is expected the vaccine will be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday but it will not arrive in Ireland until early April.
Mr Varadkar is understood to have said that while the frustration is understandable, the authorisation, manufacturing, and supply of the vaccines is out of the Government's control.
His remarks came just hours after it was confirmed that Ireland would receive an extra 46,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine due to a new EU agreement with the pharmaceutical company.
Junior ministers Patrick O’Donovan and Josepha Madigan are both understood to have criticised the EU's procurement of vaccines, while Joe Carey asked about production of generic vaccines by pharma companies based here.
Mr Varadkar said that he was not convinced that Ireland would be able to secure additional doses from other countries, including the UK. He pointed out that the UK still had 70% of its population left to vaccinate with their first dose and then a full second round of doses.
He said the supply will continue to get better, as it has this month compared to February and January.
At the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly had to fend off strident criticism of the vaccine rollout, which has been delayed.
Mr Martin said while there are easy narratives in circulation about the vaccines, he said sharply that “there are no vaccine magic trees out there” to draw upon.
The Taoiseach said:
"If there is EMA approval for other vaccines from outside the EU we will use them.”
Former minister Dara Calleary asked: “How can we trust AstraZeneca in the next quarter when they let us down so much, so far?”
Cork MEP Billy Kelleher, Dublin TD Jim O’Callaghan, and senator Malcolm Byrne called for vaccine passports to be developed with Mr O’Callaghan saying: “Let’s discuss vaccine passport before Nphet decide on it first.”
At the same meeting, Sligo TD Marc MacSharry and Kilkenny TD John McGuinness called for a public inquiry into the Davy scandal.
Mr MacSharry said he was concerned for the State’s reputation given Davy's role selling Irish bonds.
He said the proximity of the 16 persons involved in the controversy to government officials in the NTMA and the Department of Finance merits a public inquiry.
Mr McGuinness, as chair of the Oireachtas Finance Committee, supported this call.
