It is unlikely that the target to vaccinate the entirety of the Irish population against Covid-19 by September will be met, the Taoiseach has said.
The Irish Examiner reports that Micheál Martin conceded that the Government vaccination target, stated by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, will be missed.
Mr Martin said he envisaged the “end of [the] year” as a new target for vaccinating all Irish citizens.
“But again, that's subject to all the caveats,” he added.
Mr Martin said that a “critical mass” of the population would be vaccinated by September.
“I can't say it'll be the entire population over 18 at that stage. I think we'll be well on the road,” he said.
Intended timeline
The Taoiseach also warned that the Republic could lag behind on vaccines intended to be administered by March, as Ireland is set to receive 300,000 fewer AstraZeneca vaccine doses than originally planned.
The 300,000 shortfall in AstraZeneca vaccines for Ireland means 150,000 fewer people will be fully vaccinated in the first three months of the year.
“We are not sure about March... It's much more serious with AstraZeneca,” he said about the potential for delays.
Mr Martin said the vaccine supply row between drug maker AstraZeneca and the European Union had been a "bump in the road".
There was always a sense there could be challenges around manufacturing capacity globally, he added, as countries around the world were looking to obtain the vaccine at the same time.
Mr Martin also described criticism of Minister Donnelly over the vaccine rollout by Opposition politicians as “very unfair”.
