The State’s Covid-19 vaccination programme received a double boost last night when the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) gave the go-ahead for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and relaxed its restrictions on the AstraZeneca shot. The decision will enable a quicker rollout of the programme, with the HSE poised to begin administering the single-dose J&J shot this week. The committee also said the J&J vaccine could be used for those under 50 for whom another vaccine was not available and for people in difficult to reach communities. Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin will today tell a Dáil committee the easing of Covid-19 restrictions should be “gradual with sufficient time between phases to assess impact”. Separately, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe will warn a Dáil committee that Ireland’s debt will approach “a quarter of a trillion euro” this year.

Source: The Irish Times April 27, 2021 00:01 UTC