Government considering spacing out doses of Pfizer vaccines
As reported by the , the Government insist that all options are on the table including the possibility of extending the gap between the Pfizer vaccine doses.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said the Government is examining the possibility of spacing out doses of the Pfizer vaccine beyond four weeks.
Speaking on his way into Government Buildings, Mr Donnelly said that everything that can be done to keep the vaccine programmes on track is being done and that officials are working "flat out" to reprofile the vaccination programme.
Those in high and very high risk categories are now being rescheduled for mRNA vaccines, he said.
Mr Donnelly said those in the 65-69 age cohort will be scheduled "very very quickly" for their vaccination, saying the online registration website will open tomorrow. Each year within this age group being allowed to register on consecutive day over the next five days, starting with those aged 69 tomorrow.
He said we need to "wait and see" what happens with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, said he hoped that the company will lift the pause it has put on their European roll-out.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has said he is hopeful the Covid-19 vaccine schedule can remain on track, despite the double setback encountered with supplies this week.
Speaking on Tuesday morning ahead of a meeting of Government leaders with the National Vaccination taskforce, Mr Ryan expressed confidence that the overall system has sufficient flexibility.
He said it is the intention that the thousands of people who have had vaccinations cancelled this week will be accommodated "very quickly".
The Green Party leader said there has been an increase in capacity and that may have to be accelerated further.
Mr Ryan said the advice about Johnson & Johnson is only temporary and the AstraZeneca vaccine has been cleared for people aged over 60.
He said the Government is committed to doing everything it can to help health officials get the vaccine out to everyone as quickly as possible.
In relation to the hotel quarantine issue, Mr Ryan said it was always going to be difficult to determine what the demand for the system would be, he said.
There was always going to be a series of changes to it and more changes will be made in the coming days, Mr Ryan added.
He said the number of walk-ins was slightly higher than predicted but there is provision for extra people coming to the country.
If people present for quarantine in the coming days and there was no capacity, the Government would have to “manage that”.
He said it would be done by working with carriers and the hotel group to see if they can accelerate the rooms available.
Mr Ryan, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar are meeting the taskforce and the Health Service Executive this morning ahead of a Cabinet meeting which will seek to resolve the chaos as soon as possible.
The issue has arisen following the decision to limit the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged over 60 years and the delay in the roll-out of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine across Europe.
As reported by the , the Government insist that all options are on the table including the possibility of extending the gap between the Pfizer vaccine doses.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConologue has said that the Government will "do all within our power to ensure vaccinations are distributed as soon as possible".
Mr McConologue told RTÉ radio that a revised and reprofiled vaccination plan will be issued in the next few days to ensure a quick, efficient and safe distribution.
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