Coronavirus: Irish government 'right' on over 70s vaccine plan

The Irish government has made the "right decision" by not using the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on people aged over 70, an immunologist has said.

Prof Kingston Mills from Trinity College Dublin said data was "limited" on its efficacy in the older population.

The Irish government said over 70s will receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

However, it has warned the rollout for this age group "may well be slower".

On Thursday, Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Leo Varadkar told the Dáil (Irish parliament) the same number of vaccines will be administered, with a faster rollout for healthcare workers and some other groups who will receive AstraZeneca doses.

Prof Mills said older people are the most "vulnerable population" to Covid-19, so "it's imperative we give them the best chance with the vaccine".

He told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster that a "logistic change to the plan" was needed, however, this was "not insurmountable".

The EU drugs regulator has approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for all age groups, however, each member state can decide its own rollout strategy.

France and Germany have limited the use of this vaccine to under-65s, with French President Emmanuel Macron claiming it was "quasi-ineffective" for this age group.

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The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) dispute this.

Its chief executive, Dr June Raine, said current evidence "does not suggest any lack of protection against Covid-19 in people aged 65 or over who receive the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca".

"The data we have show that the vaccine produces a strong immune response in the over-65s, and that it is safe," she added.

Leo Varadkar said the Republic of Ireland's vaccine rollout for over 70s may now be slower

Tánaiste (Deputy PM) Leo Varadkar said centres, rather than GP surgeries, may be required for the administration of vaccines to the over 70s because of the need to store Pfizer and Moderna vials in freezers.

AstraZeneca vaccines can be kept in fridges.

'Be patient'

Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the country currently has access to "three safe and effective vaccines".

The first AstraZeneca delivery was expected next week, he added.

Prof Mills said the rollout of the Republic's vaccination programme had been slower than in Northern Ireland and Great Britain "largely" because of how long the approval process has taken.

He said people should be "patient".

Referring to how quickly vaccines have been developed for the virus, the Trinity College academic added: "We couldn't have imagined being in this place three months ago."

On Thursday, the Irish department of health reported there had been a further 75 deaths linked to Covid-19, bringing the country's total to 3,586.

There was an additional 1,318 cases, with 200,744 confirmed cases overall during the pandemic.

The latest figures show 187 people are in intensive care, with 1,308 confirmed cases in hospital.