Stephen Donnelly is playing down his September national vaccination plan.
The Minister for Health had said that he hoped the entire country could have the Covid vaccine jab by September, but has now said “they’re not promises,” just “timings”.
He warned again that it is conditional on the supply chain and vaccines being authorised.
Mr Donnelly also conceded that the initial target of 700,000 jabs given out by the end of March is now likely to be missed.
The embattled minister was under fire in the Dáil for two hours today as he faced a barrage of questions from opposition TDs.
The recent bad news on the vaccines front, a slowdown in Pfizer deliveries and a threatened under supply from AstraZeneca, mean Mr Donnelly has had to tone down his optimism and bring more realism to his comments.
Mr Donnelly was responding to Labour leader Alan Kelly when he said: “The September figure was and remains in the context of if the vaccines arrive according to a provisional schedule.
“However, that not only includes vaccines which have not even been authorised, but those vaccines for which the companies have not even applied for authorisation yet.
“If those vaccines were to come in, in respect of the advanced purchase agreements we have, the conditional delivery schedules would allow the vaccination of every adult resident of Ireland by September.
“As per last week, though, that is all entirely conditional on supply coming into the country, vaccines being authorised and even vaccine production companies applying for authorisation.”
And he told Social Democrats co-leader, Róisín Shortall: “They’re not promises, they’re a genuine attempt to try and give people timings.”
Mr Donnelly added on the March 700,000 jabs target: "Right now they (AstraZeneca) are not committing to that 600,000 - we're in negotiations to see what we can get.
"So obviously, the 700,000 is contingent on the supply that comes in and that that is still under negotiation."
