Clear plan for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine is expected by second week of December; Vaccine may be issued to all within two and a half weeks

DUBLIN: Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said that a comprehensive plan for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in Ireland will be ready by December 11. The Taoiseach said the Ireland’s vaccine task force had devised a strategy to deliver the vaccine in just two and a half weeks.

Mr. Martin said the announcement was made by Professor Briain McCraith, Chairman of the Government’s vaccine taskforce. The Fianna Fail leader also said the plan was to distribute the vaccines safely.

The European Commission has announced that Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will be approved in the second half of December. The vaccine is expected to be available as early as 2021. “It would be a wonderful Christmas present in the sense of the voucher for the next 12 months,” Taoiseach said.

Last week, Pfizer-BioNTech reported that their vaccine was 95% effective. Moderna, meanwhile, said that their COVID-19 jab is 94.5% effective. The vaccine, developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and scientists from Oxford University, is reported to be 70% effective on average. Scientists found that the effectiveness of the vaccine increased to 90% when a half-dose was given to subjects, followed by a full dose.