Comment: False start to Covid vaccine rollout risks losing public goodwill and buy-in

At the current rollout rate it would take over three years to vaccinate four million people across the country.

Maggie Timmins (103) gets her Covid vaccine from Una Burke at Oakview Nursing Home, Belturbet, Cavan on Wednesday morning. However, the first three weeks of the vaccination rollout have gotten off to a false start and don’t exactly inspire confidence. Photo: Lorraine Teevan

We’re three weeks into the rollout of a national Covid vaccination programme and by the weekend we will have 140,000 vulnerable citizens and frontline healthcare workers immunised.

At less than 3% of the population, the figures highlight the mountain we have to climb to get to a critical mass of 70% or more. At the current rollout rate - more than 6,000 people per day, seven days a week - it would take over three years to vaccinate four million people across the country.