Dr. Colm Henry:

We are giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to those aged 60 to 69 with or without underlying medical conditions and mRNA vaccines to those aged below 60 with or without underlying medical conditions. For those who have had a first dose, the advice from NIAC was that if they are over 60, they will proceed to having the second dose within 12 weeks, which is the usual schedule. If they are aged below 60 and have one of those defined medical conditions, again, it is in their interest based on their level of risk to proceed and have the second dose within 12 weeks. If they are aged below 60 and do not have an underlying medical condition, NIAC advises a protracted gap of up to 16 weeks to allow it to appraise the evidence of the timing of a second dose. That second cohort of people aged below 60 with no underlying conditions more or less corresponds to healthcare workers because that is where we were directing the AstraZeneca vaccine.