Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his kind words. Is it the end of the NIAC review? Absolutely not. NIAC is reviewing on a weekly basis and on a daily basis. We are learning new things all the time, new studies are being published and new decisions are being made. For example, Professor Butler, who is the chair of NIAC, was referencing with me at a session recently a new study from NHS Scotland. From memory, she said it showed the performance of AstraZeneca and the MRNA vaccines was quite similar, and more similar than in the clinical trials, so that is relevant. The data coming out of Israel are highly relevant in terms of reductions in hospitalisations in different age groups, and various reports have been published out of the UK as well. NIAC is constantly looking at that. For example, it considers what age groups are appropriate for the AstraZeneca vaccine. France made a decision either today or yesterday around increasing the age groups for AstraZeneca. New evidence is being looked at in terms of the timing for Pfizer or the MRNA vaccines, for example. At a medical or scientific level, NIAC is conducting what we call a rolling review.