Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is having an each-way bet in that presentation. The vaccine programme has been very effective, I am sure the Deputy will agree. It has been excellently executed. The NIAC advice in respect of AstraZeneca and Janssen came in on Monday evening and was formally sent yesterday from the CMO to the HSE. The HSE has to work through that advice in terms of the implications, but it will be doing so very quickly in terms of AstraZeneca and the Janssen vaccines. We have Janssen in stock. The AstraZeneca vaccine is being used to make sure that everybody between 60 and 69 years and everybody who has had a first doze of AstraZeneca gets a second dose by 19 July. That plan is already in place. The next phase is to continue down through the age cohorts. Over 340,000 vaccines were administered last week. There will be a similar amount this week. As soon as we are getting them in, we are trying to get them out as quickly again. That is working. I have no doubt about the competency of the HSE and the task force to move on the remaining elements of this.

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