Johnson and Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine could be approved for use in the EU today

The European Medicines Agency will consider authorising the injection, which is single dose and easier to store than most other vaccines.

It has an efficacy of 66%, but is 100% effective at preventing hospitalisations and death.

Ireland is due to get 2.2 million doses of the vaccine this year.

Immunologist, Dr. Lara Dungan, says it's likely to get the green light later:

"I think the likelihood is it will be approved today. I have no doubt that that's what's going to happen. It's already been approved in a lot of other jurisdictions, it's being used in the United States. So I do think that the European Medicines Agency will approve the drug today."

One immunologist thinks people under the age of 35 should be moved up the vaccine queue as they are more likely to spread the virus.

Those in that age cohort are currently towards the end of the priority list.

Professor of immunovirology at UCC, Liam Fanning, feels they should be higher up:

"Most infections are currently in the under 45s, so the 16 to 35 kind of cover- Leaving Cert students, university students, those that are most active in society and those that actually have given up an awful lot of their life experiences for the protection of others in this pandemic. So I think it's worth having a very level headed discussion about the value of skipping a few."