HSE says it's not possible to say whether fall in Covid cases is linked vaccine rollout

The HSE says it's not possible to say whether the fall in Covid cases is linked to the rollout of vaccines.

So far, over 280,000 doses have been administered across the country - with over 180,000 people receiving their first dose.

Early results from Israel - where over 40% of the population has had their first dose - show a significant fall in infection rates.

HSE Chief Operations Officer Anne O'Connor says it's too early to know if the fall in cases among healthcare workers here is down to the vaccine:

"I think we're seeing an improving picture, but I don't think you can see it that's directly linked to the vaccination programme, so we've always said that the rate of transmission and the outbreaks within our healthcare facilities was directly aligned to the increase in numbers and community transmission so if that's coming down, we will see it coming down within our health facilities too. So there'll be that element, and then vaccination may play a part. But whether we can say that for sure yet or not."