Recent concerns surrounding the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines look likely to lead to a shake-up of Ireland’s vaccine rollout.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will hold talks with the HSE and the vaccine task force on Wednesday morning to discuss potential changes to Ireland’s vaccine rollout.
Cabinet ministers will be meeting later in the day to discuss the latest setbacks to the Government’s vaccine programme.
Earlier in the week, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) recommended the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine should only be given to people aged 60 and over.
This came after the recent investigation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which concluded last week that unusual blood clots should be listed as a “very rare” side effect of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine.
A review was undertaken by the EMA after some countries reported blood clots in a small number of people inoculated with the vaccine, particularly women under 60 years of age within two weeks of vaccination.
The NIAC said: “These rare events are estimated to occur between four and 10 in every one million people, one of whom may die.”
Meanwhile, Johnson and Johnson have said they are to “proactively delay” the rollout of their one-shot Covid-19 vaccine in Europe.
This is after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration recommended the US pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following six reported cases of a “rare and severe” type of blood clot.
The length of time between Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered to people, it is believed, will be explored as one possible option for adjusting Ireland’s rollout.
This could see the time between a person receiving the first and second Pfizer vaccine be extended as a way to increase the number receiving vaccinations.
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