Minister for Health announces allocation strategy for Covid-19 vaccines

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced the allocation strategy for the Covid-19 vaccines.

The plan, which was signed off by Cabinet this morning, states that care home residents over the age of 65 and staff at these facilities will receive the vaccine first.

Frontline healthcare workers in direct patient contact roles will be next followed by those aged 70 and older, with people over 85 receiving the vaccine first among that group.

Minister Donnelly also indicated that the vaccine will be free to everyone in Ireland.

The vaccine allocation strategy was based on a Department of Health and National Immunisation Advisory Committee paper.

It sets out the provisional priority list of groups for vaccination once a safe and effective vaccine has been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The EMA will meet on 29 December when it is expected at least one of the vaccines will be authorised.

The Covid-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy is available to read in full here.