Sarah Mooney
There are more than 140,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines currently in storage in Ireland, according to the Department of Health.
In an update on the State’s vaccination rollout, the Department said 617,050 vaccine doses had been administered in Ireland up to March 14th — including 452,554 first doses and 164,496 second doses.
The State has received deliveries of some 758,490 doses of the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines.
Currently, some 141,440 doses are being held back as a “buffer amount” to ensure that second doses can be administered.
“About 95 per cent of available vaccines are administered within seven days of arrival in Ireland,” the Department said in a statement.
The Pfizer vaccine accounts for the bulk of deliveries to the State, with over half a million doses delivered. This is followed by the AstraZeneca vaccine, with over 200,000 doses delivered. 40,800 doses of the Moderna vaccine cap off the State’s total.
Buffer amount
The manufacturer of the Moderna vaccine has requested that 50 per cent of its deliveries be held back for second doses, the Department of Health said.
“Similarly, an appropriate buffer amount is built up and held back for the other vaccines to ensure availability of second doses for the following week,” it added.
“Ireland’s Covid-19 vaccination programme strategy is to distribute all available vaccines as quickly as is operationally possible, prioritising those who are most vulnerable.”
The update comes after the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine was temporarily suspended in the Republic, following reports of blood clotting in a number of people who had received the jab in Norway and Germany.
However, preparations are now reportedly taking place to resume the rollout of the vaccine, amid optimism that the jab will be given safety clearance by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday.
