Stephen Donnelly accepts Niac's advice to suspend AstraZenca vaccine for under-60s

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the cornerstone of the vaccination programme is "safety first". Picture: Sasko Lazarov/Rollingnews.ie

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has accepted the advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) to suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the under-60s.

A spokesperson for Mr Donnelly confirmed late yesterday evening that the minister would "not reject clear clinical advice" and the matter did not need to be escalated to Cabinet level.