The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that the first deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine are expected to arrive in Ireland next week.
Three deliveries are scheduled before the end of the first quarter of the year he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland with 35,000 doses arriving next week.
The focus in the vaccination programme this week will be getting the second dose to frontline workers and care home residents, then the programme will move to give the first doses to the second group of frontline workers, he said.
When asked when that would happen, the Minister said “very soon”, adding the roll out of the AstraZeneca vaccine via GPs to the over 85 cohort will commence “very shortly”.
When asked about the timeline of the vaccine rollout and the possibility of major sporting and cultural events happening later in the year, Mr Donnelly said that he hoped such events could happen.
The Minister added the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) would have to look at how quickly the risk of transmission was going down as more people were vaccinated.
“Nphet will look at how we’re doing on the numbers.”
Commenting on information regarding how long the vaccine would offer protection, Mr Donnelly said there was “an awful lot” still to be learned, saying: “We’re all watching Israel.”
Mr Donnelly said that the annual flu vaccine had a rate of 60 per cent protection while some of the Covid vaccines had a level of protection above 90 per cent which was heartening.
Public health experts would have to determine what risk there was to the public when the most vulnerable had been vaccinated, he said.
'Working relationship'
The Minister also spoke about media reports over the weekend implying his relationship with the chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, was strained.
Mr Donnelly said he has “an excellent working relationship” with Dr Holohan, adding they both were “bemused” by the reports following a discussion of the matter on Monday.
The Minister said his office was “four doors down” in the Department of Health from Dr Holohan and that they talked “several” times a day.
“We have an excellent working relationship,” Mr Donnelly added.
