Dr. Tony Holohan:

The companies do exactly that. They try to reformulate the vaccines to respond to changes in the virus. As the Chairman may be aware, some of the newer vaccines are based on this new mRNA technology, namely, those from Pfizer and Moderna. They are very targeted, if I can put it in that way, so if the virus figures out a way of escaping some of that protection, there may be a requirement to reformulate the vaccine in response to that new viral challenge. That work is happening at the moment.

A number of factors are then taken into account. The vaccines will be reformulated by the companies and they will then have to go through a process of authorisation. There will then have to be a process of decision-making within each individual country as to whether we can use them, and whether there is a need for us to shift from one type of vaccine to another, something on which we would get advice from NIAC. We have seen a change in the profile of this disease in respect of its virulence, so we continually have to assess the questions of to whom we target the vaccines, what type of vaccines are used and at what frequency they are given. An important question in that context will relate to the basic purposes of our response, which in the first instance will put a greater emphasis in future on protecting people who are at the greatest risk in respect of the disease from severe infection and consequences, rather than controlling transmission. That is likely to have an impact on the shape of vaccine programmes into the future, irrespective of where vaccine companies go with the formulation of their vaccines.