OVER 400,000 DOSES of Covid-19 vaccines were delivered to Ireland last week, by the far the largest week of deliveries to date.
Figures from the Department of Health released this afternoon up to Sunday 2 May show that a total of 401,480 doses were delivered last week.
The biggest previous week of deliveries was a month previous when the total was just under 250,000 doses.
The vast majority of the vaccine deliveries were from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, which between them made up 91% of last week’s deliveries.
The total number of doses due to arrive in Ireland in the second quarter of the year is some 4.5 million doses.
In total, 2,116,880 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been delivered to Ireland as part of the vaccination programme, with 1,621,870 administered as of Monday.
The department says that Moderna requests that 50% of its vaccine is held back for second doses, with an additional buffer also held back to ensure second doses can take place.
Speaking in the Dáil today, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the most up to date figures are that about 1,650,000 total doses have been administered, representing close to 32% of the eligible population having received a first dose and 12% having received a second dose
Last week, 200,401 vaccine doses were administered, according to figures from the HSE.
Speaking at a press conference earlier, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that vaccination centres could operate on a 24-hour basis if that was required but that this was not currently the case.
He said that he expects pharmacists to play a “bigger and bigger role” in the vaccine roll-out as it continues.
From today, people aged 58 can register online or over the phone for their vaccine.
Donnelly also hailed the “incredible” impact of the vaccine, with a 98% reduction in cases of the virus among health workers since the peak in January.
Donnelly and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar both said they would be happy to take any Covid-19 vaccine available.
“We have four really safe, really effective vaccines and whenever it is my turn I will take whatever is offered,” Donnelly said.
The Tánaiste added: “In terms of any vaccine I’m offered, I’d be very happy to take it.
“They’re all close to 100% effective in terms of avoiding serious disease and death and they’re all much safer than the risk of getting Covid so I’d have no hesitation.”
- With reporting by Orla Dwyer
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