A worrying update.
Stephen Donnelly has told the Dáil he remains “concerned” about AstraZeneca’s ability to deliver vaccine supplies on schedule and at the agreed volumes.
Speaking on Thursday, the Minister for Health said that he has concerns, and that the HSE is “uncertain” over supply issues.
He said: “The HSE is managing a vaccination programme with uncertain supplies arriving in, particularly from AstraZeneca.
“I certainly remain concerned about AstraZeneca’s ability to deliver on schedule, and indeed to deliver at the volumes that have been agreed.”
Donnelly also said people with underlying health conditions will begin to receive their Covid-19 vaccines next week.
He said that from April, one million doses will be administered per month subject to delivery of contracted supplies.
Head of the Director-General Paul Reid announced this news on Thursday.
The head of the HSE said the vaccination of Cohort 4 – those aged 16-69 with a medical condition that puts them at very high risk of severe disease and death – will begin next week. | Read more: https://t.co/eXUZoEPC4n pic.twitter.com/Buum4cARbL
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 4, 2021
This comes after Ireland missed last week’s target of 100,000 vaccines by over 18,000.
Earlier in the day, Professor Mary Horgan said that the impact of the vaccination on healthcare workers across Ireland has been “phenomenal” so far.
She said: “It’s been phenomenal. We were tracking the number of healthcare workers infected from January into February and essentially it just turned off in February, and likewise the number of hospital admissions.”
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