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The T\u00e1naiste has said that Ireland is rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine at a slower pace than other countries \u2013 but it will catch up.<\/p>\nThe T\u00e1naiste has said that Ireland is rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine at a slower pace than other countries \u2013 but it will catch up.<\/p>\n
The first coronavirus vaccine arrived in Ireland on St Stephen\u2019s Day but it will not be until Wednesday, December 30th when the initial batch of 10,000 doses will be administered.<\/p>\n
Leo Varadkar admitted he \u201cwasn\u2019t sure\u201d why there is a delay, despite many other European countries beginning their vaccine program on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not 100 per cent sure but I am told it takes a couple of days to organize things,\u201d Mr Varadkar said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile you could have done a few people in the initial days, the authorities thought it was better to start on Wednesday and start it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said that the vaccine program will begin in earnest on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the first to be approved for use in Ireland by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).<\/p>\n
Around 40,000 doses of the vaccine will arrive in Ireland every week from the end of January.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said that people living in long-term care facilities, nursing homes and their staff will receive the vaccine first.<\/p>\n
He told Newstalk: \u201cI think we will have started a bit slower but catch up. We are part of the European system and get 1.11 per cent of the vaccine and that\u2019s in proportion with our population.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will start a little bit slower than other countries but we will catch up, I don\u2019t see it as a race, I think it\u2019s important that we do it right.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe anticipate the Moderna vaccine will be approved on January 6th, so that will bring additionality.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere seems to be good chance that the AstraZeneca will by approved by the end of January and that\u2019s particularly important because we have pre-ordered a huge number of them, more so than we did for Pfizer and that doesn\u2019t require deep cold chain, that\u2019s a more normal vaccine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar that the Covid-19 virus is \u201cmaking a fool\u201d of Government plans.<\/p>\n
He admitted that Ireland\u2019s six-week lockdown did not work to the extent they had hoped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took the decision on December 1st and we all thought we would get as far as January,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe six-week lockdown didn\u2019t work to the extent we hoped it would.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is true is that nobody anticipated that the numbers would rise so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar also said he could not see mass gatherings happening until the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we will be getting rid of restrictions permanently in February or March. Restrictions such as mass gatherings \u2013 I don\u2019t see them happening until the summer at earliest.\u201d<\/p>\n
It comes as the head of the HSE warned about the \u201calarming\u201d numbers of people being tested for Covid-19.<\/p>\n
Paul Reid tweeted: \u201cTesting and tracing volumes now at alarming levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur highest daily tests now at 23,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommunity positivity reaching 10 per cent. Close contacts averaging at five people.<\/p>\n
\u201cTracing calls gone from less than 10,000 to now over 30,000 per week.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease review New Year plans to keep safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ireland entered its third lockdown on Christmas Eve as a range of restrictions were introduced.<\/p>\n
Bars, restaurants, hairdressers and beauty salons have shut in a bid to stifle the spread of coronavirus.<\/p>\n