Preparations for the introduction of Covid-19 vaccines are moving quickly in Ireland.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that a vaccine should be available in Ireland “quite soon”, but not until the new year.
Donnelly said that after the authorisation process, there is then “additional work that has to be done”, but we could potentially be looking at a vaccine “early in the new year”.
Donnelly said that Professor Brian MacCraith, chair of the vaccine taskforce, and his team are “very quickly putting in place the distribution needed for that”.
“Ireland is currently signed up to four of the vaccines, and on Tuesday I’m bringing a memo to government on a fifth,” he said.
Donnelly said that Ireland has made advance purchase of several million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.