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The first Irish will receive the Covid-19 vaccine before the end of the year.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar made the announcement in the Dáil minutes after Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said that the distribution of the vaccine throughout the EU would occur in the final days of this year.
“I can confirm that the European Medicines Agency is now expected to meet on Monday and approve the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. This will allow the first people in the EU countries to receive the vaccine on December 27, 28 and 29, ”said Mr Varadkar.
“I cannot say exactly when this will be the case in Ireland, but we hope that the first people in Ireland will be vaccinated before the new year.”
Mr. Varadkar added that those vaccinated will be given evidence that they have received the vaccine.
The launch of the Covid-19 vaccine would begin across the EU from Sunday, December 27, Ms Von der Leyen said yesterday.
In a Twitter post, he said: “It is time for Europe. On December 27, 28 and 29, vaccination will begin throughout the EU. We protect our citizens together ”.
Ireland is among the countries that must submit the vaccine in the days after approval is granted. It is not yet clear how much the first limited shipment from Belgium will contain, but the first recipients will be people over 65 in long-term care and front-line healthcare workers.
A shipment may contain enough doses for 2,437 people, but some are smaller.
Mobile teams of vaccinators will bring vaccines to residents in nursing homes and other facilities. There are around 78,000 residents in long-term care, but it is expected to be February before everyone is vaccinated.
HSE chief Paul Reid said he hopes the first elements of a new computer system to track vaccines will be in place early in deployment.
As more vaccines become available, people can register online.
Meanwhile, the Irish Medical Organization has told GPs that € 4.3 million is being invested as part of the aid due to increased pressures on GPs this winter.
This is aimed at increasing the service that GPs have already provided during normal surgery hours and meeting the higher range of potential demand during the winter months.
This service is in effect from December 21 to the end of March 2021.
“It is important to note that the service will ensure that Covid Assessment & Referral remains within the GP environment, even after hours,” he said.
All after-hours services will receive block funding based on expected activity levels for December and January with a combination of block funding and activity-based funding for February and March
Online editors
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