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LAST UPDATE | 29 Jan 2021
IRELAND IS TO receive 300,000 fewer vaccine doses up to the end of March than was previously expected due to the supply issues related to the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.
Chair of the vaccination task force Brian MacCraith told and Oireachtas Committee today that that Ireland is expected to have 1.1 million doses by the end of March, down from the previously expected 1.4 million.
This is due to the “significant drop” in the expected deliveries from AstraZeneca.
An increasingly bitter row between the EU and the company has developed as a result of AstraZeneca’s failure to reach expected deliveries.
MacCraith said it is expected that 191,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be delivered in February, with just 95,000 currently confirmed for March.
The reduction means that 550,000 people can be vaccinated in that period – about 150,000 fewer than the government’s 700,000 target.
MacCraith added that there is no certainty over the supply of vaccines from April onwards and the the task force was “sticking to the principle of administering vaccines as soon as they arrive”.
“We have a level of confidence for this quarter but that has been dented in the weeks and days due to AstraZeneca situation,” MacCraith said.
The assurances we had received indicated 1.4 million doses across AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna and naturally the simple calculation, given they’re all dual doses, leads to 700,000 people being vaccinated.
“However, as we learned in recent days, AstraZeneca has indicated a significant drop. So currently that 1.4 million doses has dropped to just above 1.1 million doses.”
TDs also asked a number of questions about the potential role of pharmacists in the vaccine delivery programme, with the HSE’s David Walsh saying they may be part of the vaccination of over 70s.
Over 70s are the next cohort in line to be vaccinated after the completion of the first two priority groups; healthcare workers and those in care homes.
TDs and senators were told that an average of 48,000 doses of vaccine have been administered per week over the past three weeks. Representatives from the HSE also said that it would be “a week or two” before daily vaccination figures could be provided.
MacCraith was speaking before it was confirmed this afternoon that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was approved by the European Medicines Agency for use for all ages above 18.
German authorities said yesterday that there is insufficient evidence for its efficacy for people aged over 65.
“The plan originally was certainly that the AstraZeneca vaccine would be used through the GP network to address cohort number three, which is the over 70s, if for any reason that doesn’t happen, the contingency plan at this stage is to use the Pfizer/BionTech and the Moderna vaccines for that cohort.”
Asked whether this could be done through the GP system, MacCraith said that it “is a possibility” because the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine was used by GPs in the UK.
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So many questions about AstraZeneca now. Many older people who were expecting to receive this vaccine are now worried that it will not be effective for them. We have been told that we cannot pick or choose the vaccine we receive. The government and our minister for health needs to address the questions around the efficiency of this vaccine for our oldest and most vulnerable citizens. This vaccine was supposed to be the answer for poorer nations who will struggle to afford other vaccines produced by big Pharma, but now AstraZenecas integrity has been thrown into question. We need answers.
@Teresa O’Halloran: also I know people in the uk, both young and old who felt very ill the day after receiving the jab. Don’t know about any of the other vaccines?
@Ian James Burgess: Not an uncommon side effect of a vaccine, rather feel unwell for a day than suffer the higher level effects of covid.
@Ian James Burgess: Who are these people you talk about? I know you know is not a fact. They aren’t complaining in the UK they are being vaccinated in their millions while we wait in line for Merkel & Von De Liar to get over themselves & now Novavax is about to be approved by the UK again they have their own manufacturing site on Teeside. When news talk asked our minister about supplies he said we were behind the commission & when he pushed further that the UK may offer to help Ireland with supplies if they were to help anyone because of the land border he said Ireland would refuse this help & show solidarity with the EU instead???
@Ian James Burgess: I know several people in the U.K. who have had both AZ and Pfizer vaccines. They’ve had no or minor side effects that are usual for any vaccine. I also have family members who are both involved in the roll out of the vaccine programme so would see any serious side effects being reported and who were involved as part of the Oxford University team. The vaccine is completely safe for over 65s and evidence is that they will have a comparable level of protection since blood tests show they have similar numbers of antibodies to younger people. There is no evidence at all to suggest that the vaccine won’t work for over 65s and in fact, the German politician who created this doubt has just rolled back on his comments.
@Paul Keenan: I was just looking for any side effects of any of the vaccines, not arguing about not getting it. Just be nice to have peoples different reactions.
@Ian James Burgess: I felt awful the day after getting the third dose of the hep B vaccine. It’s normal for vaccines to make some people feel sick for a couple of days.
EU as indecisive as our government. Well done on the speedy decision !
@John McCann: I’d rather they look at all the data and make an informed decision
@Louise Tracey: So would I but do it a bit quicker so we’re not at the back of the queue
@John McCann: we are not at the back of the queue. The contract has previously been signed. The uk rushed in and approved it to be the brexit poster boys. The EU are going through the proper channels of approval.
@Brian Madden: Britain went through their proper channels as well but they were more effective as instead of waiting for the final results to be published they had a method of working together with the companies so they were analysing the data as it was becoming available.
Nothing to do with Brexit everything to do with the country being in a dire situation and desperate to get out of it.
@David Fülöp: the EU have been using the rolling review process too. The UK approved it on data that was not acceptable to either the EMA in Europe or the FDA in the USA. AstraZeneca had to complete extra trials before the EMA or FDA would consider approval. Says something about the UK’s system.
@NotMyIreland: it has already been approved in the USA
@Joan Murray: No its not. When was it?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.live5news.com/2021/01/21/astrazeneca-trial-continuing-musc-doctors-hopeful-fda-approval-could-come-soon/%3foutputType=amp
@Brian Madden: I’d have said Boris’s cabinet rather than UK. We’ve kinda forgotten that he’s a looney surrounding himself with equally crazy loyalists. Events have elevated/normalised them.
As long as it’s not a stunt to raise fear of supply , thus increasing profit, ALL pharmaceuticals want to milk this
@Ger Murray: There’s weight to this. I can’t imagine how gutting it is for AstraZeneca to be selling this at cost when its clearly a home run product in gigantic demand.
@JillyBean: They’ve a get out clause. They are only selling the drug at cost as long as there is a pandemic and they get to say when the pandemic ends, at the moment it’s set to end July 1st 2021:
https://www.ft.com/content/c474f9e1-8807-4e57-9c79-6f4af145b686
@Steve: Could short supplying the EU intially to bulk supply after the 1st July be a means of charging more? OR does this contract set out a price per dose for the 400 Million ordered?
@JillyBean: I believe it was the Oxford University that developed the vaccine, paid for by the taxpayer. The drug company is about trials and production and profit. Part of the deal was that they would make it available at cost during the pandemic, and rightly so. Personally I believe no life saving drug should be withheld from any country due to poverty; to do nothing when it is within your ability to save a person is not really different to manslaughter.
@Noirin Kavanagh: what are you doing on here Noirin?
You’re far too intelligent and sensible.
Best comment on here for a long long time
Meanwhile the EU have thrown more petrol on the flames this morning with ill thought out radio interviews. The EU placed our order after other countries so of course we are behind in the queue. Trying to argue that when you placed your order doesn’t matter is ridiculous. If another 30 or 40 countries place an order later today are the EU really going to say that the available vaccines should be shared out equally with all of them too. This is showing the worst of the EU – they create a bureaucratic mess and then look around to see who they can blame. They started with Astra Zeneca (the only company producing the vaccine for no profit) saying they were favouring those who paid more and now there’s a comment suggesting that the U.K. wants a vaccine war but U.K. has said no such thing.
@Sara Davis: the mad thing is that; until vaccines are rolled out across the entire globe we will not be in any way resilient against this virus, so, personally I don’t mind which country gets it first, as long as the rollout is completed in a timely manner.
@Sara Davis: indeed. Ireland thrown under the bus by the EU again.. People forget so easily how they mistreated us during the financial crisis.
The EU ought to hang their heads in shame. They’ve made a complete mess of this vaccine roll out. Countries having to pause or cease their programs finger pointing and whinging about other non EU countries. Shambolic.
@Robert Clifford: good man Robert.
Fantastic contribution.
@Chris Day: Thanks.
@Robert Clifford: He was pulling your leg.
We need to get Bono or Bob Geldof to address the European parliament, and tell them the urgency of getting the vaccine out to all citizens of Europe and beyond. After all it’s a matter of life.
@Marty Mc.: That made me laugh
@Marty Mc.: Bob Geldof is a UK citizen. He lives in England. I would guess he doesn’t give a flying fig about the EU as long as the UK are vaccinated.
@Teresa O’Halloran: Think you will find he’s a flag waving Euro fanatic, he’s no fan of the UK government
@Marty Mc.: Is there anything at all to be said for another mass?
What, see Zhermans finally allowed us to get it?
Ya just can’t trust the Brits one bit.
Based on the daily average stated we don’t have the capacity to administer more 500,000 vaccines between now and March.
As long it’s not a
Boycott the Oxford vaccine , they are useless ..
have your say