This week will see the first Covid-19 vaccinations among medically vulnerable people aged between 16 and 69 who are at a very high risk of severe disease and death.

This week will see the first Covid-19 vaccinations among medically vulnerable people aged between 16 and 69 who are at a very high risk of severe disease and death.
This will be the fourth cohort on the prioritisation list to get vaccinated.
It is estimated there could be up to 160,000 people aged between 16 and 69 who are deemed to be at a high risk from Covid-19 because of serious illness.
The Health Service Executive said that the first 10,000 patients from this group will get their first dose of vaccine later this week, beginning with people with neurological conditions in disability settings.
Also those aged over 85 who have yet to get their first dose, which is thought to be around 500 people, are due to get their jabs this week, along with other housebound patients.
A further 37,000 doses have been allocated for people aged 80-84 this week, from the overall target of more than 84,000 to be administered this week.
Latest figures published by the HSE show that 513,322 doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been administered up to last Friday.
This comprised 363,601 first doses and 149,721 second doses.
Those who have received a second dose are regarded as fully vaccinated.
In Cohort 3, over 92,000 first doses have been administered, mainly to those aged 85 years and older but also to some in the 80-84 aged group.
Separately, the number of patients with Covid-19 in hospitals is now 419, down from 423 yesterday.
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“They’re getting the vaccines out as quickly as they’re coming in”
.@SimonHarrisTD says a “very small number” of over 85s are still to be vaccinated, but says over 95% of that cohort have been vaccinated so far | More: https://t.co/QsZqtKXOuypic.twitter.com/vDIdAjxZi9
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 8, 2021
Minister for Further Education Simon Harris has said the HSE and GPs are getting the jabs out as quickly as they are coming in.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, he said the Government was trying to share information as best it could and it was important it was transparent with people, but it was reliant on supply.
Mr Harris said AstraZeneca has now appointed a country manager and he added there could be a fourth vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) approved this week.
“We are reliant on supply, and the HSE cannot be held responsible for global supply issues”@SimonHarrisTD says Ireland will see a “very significant ramp-up” of its vaccination programme, with the expected EMA approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine | https://t.co/QsZqtKXOuypic.twitter.com/FnbmSwfHPb
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 8, 2021
Meanwhile, the Health Products Regulatory Authority in Ireland has said it is closely monitoring an Austrian investigation into reports of adverse events following vaccinations from one batch of AstraZeneca vaccine.
Austrian authorities are investigating the death of one person and illness in a second person after they received the vaccine.
As a precaution, Austria has suspended inoculations from a specific batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The HPRA said that at present there is “no evidence of a causal relationship” between the vaccine and the events.