Major rollout of vaccination programme to begin

A major rollout of the covid vaccination programme is to get underway from today. 

Up to 80,000 people aged over 85 will start getting the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines over the next 3 weeks. 

It comes as 788 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed and 17 more patients with the virus have died.

RCSI Professor Sam McConkey says if someone in the over 85 age group doesn't get the vaccine, it should be given to the over 70s.

"You obviously don't want to waste any of the doses in the vial, it's better if they give it to somebody who's 70 who's on a standby list.

"It's a bit like airlines, you could be on standby waiting for a seat and you didn't know if you'd get one.

"Maybe the GP practice could have some of the over 70s on standby, so if  the over 80s aren't able to travel, the over 70s can fill in and take those doses."