Any surplus Covid-19 vaccines in the UK should be offered to the Republic of Ireland, Arlene Foster has said.
More than 850,000 Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in Northern Ireland.
Foster said more than 50% of the adult population have received their first dose.
Health Minister Robin Swann said he hopes that the Republic will “catch up” within a month.
Foster said she discussed the issue with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he visited a vaccination centre in Fermanagh earlier this month, and pledged to continue that conversation.
“If there is surplus vaccine then we should share it with our nearest neighbours out of neighbourliness but also out of the fact it will have an impact of course on us here in Northern Ireland, so there’s a very practical reason why I believe that should happen,” she said.