The HSE has dismissed reports that a large quantity of the flu vaccine has gone missing.
The executive's Chief Clinical Officer, Dr Colm Henry, said 50,000 doses were deliberately held back to ensure they are delivered to those groups who need it the most.
Reports stated that in a letter sent to doctors and pharmacists on Monday, the HSE said that approximately 1.3 million vaccines have been distributed to date, but only 700,000 of those have been recorded as administered vaccines on the claims system used by healthcare professionals to reimburse costs.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Henry said: "No doses have disappeared, just to reassure people. We've distributed 1.3m doses, that's an increase of 20% from the same time last year and it's the most we've ever distributed.
"We've records back and over 700,000 have been administered. It's normal for there to be a lag time for us between administering the vaccine to GPs and pharmacies and records coming back as to who has been administered.
"What we want to find is where the greatest level of demand is? We're very clear about those priority groups - mainly older people and health care workers - that's where we want to focus the remaining stock that we normally hold back. No vaccines have disappeared."
Dr Henry noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented levels of demand for the flu vaccine this year with 1.3 million doses already distributed.
The HSE deliberately made the decision to hold back a certain amount of the doses to ascertain where the gaps and priority areas around the country are and where the vaccine needs to be delivered to.
The HSE said that the most recent report “indicates that there is no evidence of influenza viruses circulating in the community in Ireland”.
“If uptake among those in the at-risk groups and children aged 2-12 reflects the demand seen to date, twice as many people may be vaccinated this year as in the 2019/20 vaccination season.
"This will help to limit the spread of the flu in the community and to limit the impact of the flu on the health service,” it said.
