All over 12s to be vaccinated by end of September

aul Reid said the HSE is probably about "four weeks ahead of where we thought we would be" and he expects by the end of August or early September they will have completed vaccinations in the adult population.

Ireland's population should be fully vaccinated by the end of August or early September, the chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said.

Paul Reid said the HSE is probably about "four weeks ahead of where we thought we would be" and he expects by the end of August or early September they will have completed vaccinations in the adult population.

The latest vaccine uptake figures show 76% of the adult population, some 2.85 million people, are now fully vaccinated.

Mr Reid said he expects all 12-15 year olds who put themselves forward for a Covid-19 vaccine will be fully vaccinated by the end of September.

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Reid also said he believes there is more trust and a stronger connection between the public and the HSE because of the success of the vaccination programme.

“It’s a really strong momentum. I think we’re at a really encouraging and inspiring point of our vaccination programme," he said.

Concern public will 'drop their guard'

When asked about recent public incidents where it appeared public health guidelines had been breached, Mr Reid said confusion surrounding Covid-19 regulations is "a reality that we deal with."

"Throughout the whole pandemic there's been various times, various representative bodies, various sectors, various groups, we've had political issues where there tend to be contrasting views, interpretations that can tend to be one public health measure contrasting against another," he said. 

Responding to footage, which appears to show numerous breaches of public health guidelines at a pub owned by Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae, Mr Reid said: "From a HSE perspective what I would always say is we're looking at some very sick people coming into our hospitals.

"We're still seeing very rising cases and a steadily increasing every day." 

Mr Reid said there is a concern that people "get distracted, get confused, get less committed and drop their guard" when it comes to following public health guidelines.

“We are so close to completing the vaccination programme, but equally we are so close to losing it all,” he warned.

“The virus is still a very live threat to us. We are still testing significant numbers. This is a threat to everyone.”