Stephen Donnelly made the claim on Morning Ireland on Tuesday and also addressed the “thumbs up” incident between himself and CMO Tony Holohan.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that Ireland is set to have 1.1 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine by the end of March.
The number will consist of a combination of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines, Donnelly told Morning Ireland on Tuesday.
People aged over 85 will begin being vaccinated “in the coming weeks,” Donnelly also said.
“It will be in the coming weeks. We now have three vaccines approved… It’s going to be done through your GP, and it will be coming very shortly,” Donnelly said.
He did say that exact dates can’t yet be given for over 85s “due to supply issues”.
However, Ireland is getting 35,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine next week, he confirmed.
Three deliveries of this particular vaccine are expected to be made by the end of March.
Donnelly also said that the new “UK variant” of the virus is now found in two out of every three Covid-19 cases in Ireland.
Unsurprisingly, he was asked about his relationship with Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan, after reports emerged this weekend that Donnelly had ignored a message from Holohan for a number of days, before replying with a “thumbs up” emoji.
He said: “He and I discussed the coverage yesterday, and we were both bemused by the coverage. Tony and I work four doors down from each other. We talk most days. Sometimes we talk several times a day.
“We have an excellent working relationship.”
The message in question saw Holohan warning Donnelly about the rising R number in Dublin.
WATCH: @morningireland interview with Minister for Health @DonnellyStephen on the Covid-19 pandemic | Read more Covid-19 coverage: https://t.co/FrpzOKyLgv https://t.co/oDJlRWBCqq
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 2, 2021
As of Sunday (31 January), just under 200,000 vaccines have been administered across Ireland.
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