One million first doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered in Ireland

A nurse holds a bottle of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. File picture

One million first doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland, the Taoiseach has confirmed.

Micheál Martin said that he was informed of the milestone by the HSE this evening.

He praised the work of frontline workers across Ireland.

“Just been informed by [the HSE] that we’ve reached 1 million first doses of the #CovidVaccine,” Mr Martin stated on Twitter.

Just been informed by @HSELive that we’ve reached 1 Million first doses of the #CovidVaccine

Great work by all the vaccination teams and GPs across the country.

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) April 25, 2021

 

“Great work by all the vaccination teams and GPs across the country.”

As of April 23, the Department of Health confirmed that 1,359,921 doses of the vaccine have been administered.

Earlier the Taoiseach, who is 60 years old, said he is looking forward to registering for an AstraZeneca vaccination when permitted according to his age this week.

“The evidence is strong in relation to AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson that the benefits outweigh the risks,” he told RTÉ’s The Week In Politics programme.

HSE chief Paul Reid said that it has been a “strong week” for the vaccination programme with more than 170,000 doses administered.

Strong week for the vaccination programme. Over 170,000 vaccinations done. Two days well over 40K. Over 220k aged 62 to 69 registered & over 90K appointments made for them. 134K medically vulnerable had a D1. 95% of >70s had a D1 & 214K a D2. More supplies helping. @HSELive

— Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) April 25, 2021

Mr Martin also said he wants to ensure that when society reopens after the latest lockdown, it stays open.

He does not want to see any more “stop/start” closures in the battle against Covid-19, adding that outdoors will be the theme for this summer.

From Monday, non-contact outdoor sports activities, such as golf and tennis, can resume, outdoor visitor attractions, such as zoos, wildlife parks and pet farms, can reopen, and the maximum attendance at funerals will be increased to 25.

“That outdoor theme is critical because we know that outdoor is less harmful in the context of the spread of this virus than indoor,” Mr Martin said.

“I can understand that hospitality sector livelihoods are at stake, it’s been devastated as a result of this pandemic, but anything we open now, we want to keep open.

“We want to end this start/stop close and many people in different sectors have said that to us.”

It comes as the National Public Health Emergency Team stated that there has been one additional death related to the virus confirmed today.

Nphet also confirmed that there has been a further 429 cases of the virus in Ireland.