Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the various questions. I will answer the last question first. Several people have come to me with the exact same question on those over 60 with a history of blood clotting and I put it to public health officials. I want to be careful not to give medical advice as I am not a medic but the answer I got back was that AstraZeneca is safe regardless of any such history. That is the very clear advice I got back. If the Deputy would like, I would be more than happy to revert to her with a written position from the medics themselves.

With regard to data, we are always striving to do more. I understand it is a question of the delivery of numbers by week, although I am aware that someone suggested it is moving to every fortnight. With regard to forecasts, it is absolutely the case that we can publish them. However, it is worth saying that I published, last week, I believe, the delivery forecasts for all the vaccines for April, May and June and that within about six days of the information going out, almost every single number changed. I have a sheet to hand from the vaccine task force from Monday. The numbers do not really matter; it is about the colour. That shows the projected deliveries per week for each of the vaccines. In the past week, every single number for every vaccine to be delivered in every week changed bar one. It goes to show just how much the numbers are changing. My view, however, is that the more information we can put out, the better. I will go back to the Department and ensure that the weekly figures on what has been delivered are being published.

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