The Minister for Health has confirmed that the Government is in talks to secure early delivery of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19.
Stephen Donnelly says an advanced shipment would allow vaccinations to start as soon as granted EU approval.
The European Medicines Agency is due to meet at the end of the month to consider authorising the jab for use across member states.
Minister Donnelly added that an early delivery means we could begin rollout out right away.
He stated that by following the national provisional inoculation schedule currently in place, and assuming vaccines are approved, all adults in Ireland could be offered the vaccine by September.
He said his Department is seeking authorisation for the AstraZeneca vaccine, with a decision on its approval set to be made on January 29th.
"When we look back on Pfizer, the EMA on very short notice brought that decision forward a week.
"What I would like to see if possible is to get the AstraZeneca vaccine into Ireland and ideally into all the GP surgeries, into all the pharmacies so that the moment the EMA and EU Commission authorise it, I then have to sign a statutory instrument that authorises it for use in Ireland and we get vaccinating straight away."
