Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is worth pointing out that the vaccine programme is run by the HSE rather than NIAC or NPHET, although obviously NIAC and NPHET have a role. They are much the same people, a lot of the time, writing letters to each other but that is another day's work.

The Deputy asked that NIAC should explain its advice as to why we should continue to have a 12-week interval between the two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. That is a reasonable request. In fairness to both NIAC and Professor Butler, they have been very willing to do that in weeks gone by and I am sure they would be willing to do it again. The manufacturer says a gap of 56 days is possible, not less than that. The current advice here is that 12 weeks is still the optimum. As long as that is the advice, it is reasonable that the experts should explain that and I am sure they will.

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