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The government’s Covid-19 vaccination task force will meet for the second time today.
The meeting comes as Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said a vaccination program was unlikely this year but could happen in early 2021.
Public health restrictions to suppress the virus will be gradually lowered starting tomorrow.
Planning and preparation for a Covid-19 vaccine and how an immunization program would work in Ireland continues.
The working group has committed to providing the Government with a comprehensive national vaccination strategy and implementation plan by December 11.
Minister Donnelly said vaccination was unlikely to start next month, but said it could happen “potentially, early in the new year.”
Timing will depend on which vaccine hits the market first, and, he said, healthcare workers, the elderly and the vulnerable are likely to be prioritized.
The government expects to see an increase in new Covid-19 cases within two weeks, after restrictions are eased starting tomorrow.
But Donnelly said there is no intention to re-impose stricter regulations before the end of the year unless there is a “big increase” in cases.
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Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the government will watch the figures very closely as restrictions begin to be eased starting tomorrow.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said that although an increase in numbers is expected in the coming weeks, the goal is to keep those numbers as low as possible.
Coveney said there is real concern about so-called wet bars, but nonessential retail is not as risky as previously believed, and urged people to continue to adhere to public health guidelines.
The absorption of any Covid-19 vaccine would have to be between 60% and 70% for it to significantly suppress transmission of the virus, according to Maynooth University professor of immunology Paul Moynagh.
He said that while the rollout of mass vaccines will take at least a few months, “‘we should be in a good place by April or May.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Professor Moynagh said that the “proportionate return” from six weeks of Level 5 restrictions was disappointing in terms of the cost to the economy and livelihoods and that more targeted measures are needed in the future. .
He said that it has not yet been seen whether vaccines that go on the market protect against infection or disease, and while some vaccines do not prevent infection, but prevent a person from getting seriously ill, they are useful in limiting the effects of a virus.
Yesterday, the Department of Health reported 299 new cases of Covid-19. The department also reported two other coronavirus-related deaths.
It brings the number of cases reported here since the outbreak began to 72,241, while the total number of deaths has risen to 2,052.
There are 257 people with confirmed Covid-19 who are being treated in hospital, and 30 of them are receiving treatment in intensive care units.
The national incidence rate of 14 days per 100,000 inhabitants has been reduced to 92.3.
Donegal continues to have the highest 14-day incidence rate in the country, 219.9, followed by Louth (184.7) and Limerick (166.8).
Leitrim has the lowest rate at 21.8, with the second lowest rate in Wexford at 26.0.
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