THE ASTRAZENECA vaccine has been ruled out for anyone over the age of 70 in Ireland amid concerns about its efficacy for this age group.
As a result, serious doubts have now been raised about the country's Covid-19 vaccination plan, as it now faces major logistical issues.
Covid vaccinations for the over-70s will still begin as planned on February 15, but delays are now expected due to the significant supply issues, with Ireland relying solely on Pfizer and Moderna shots for the elderly.
The news comes with "thousands" of nursing staff reportedly still waiting to be vaccinated.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin admitted the move away from using the AstraZeneca vaccine - which was previously labelled a 'game-changer' by the Government - for the over-70s will pose challenges, particularly as it's easier to store and administer than the Pfizer and Moderna alternatives.
"That will mean change in terms of the operation of the plan and will be a significant logistical challenge to the Health Service Executive (HSE), and they're currently working through the implications of this," Martin said.
The vaccination of other groups could be brought forward as a result, the Taoiseach added.
The first of 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca jab are due to arrive in Ireland over the next few weeks, and GPs were expected to begin vaccinating people over the age of 85 from mid-February.
But the HSE have now been tasked with coming up with a new plan.
