Ireland will administer a record number of Covid-19 vaccines this week, the HSE's Chief Executive has said.
Paul Reid said that we are set to have a record number of jabs - between 310,000 and 330,000 - given out to members of the public by Sunday.
Mr Reid explained that the HSE's decision to reduce the gap between AstraZeneca doses from 12 weeks to eight weeks for 450,000 people was made in a bid to curb the effect of the Delta variant, which has lead to a new surge in the UK.
He added that the HSE expects to have these people fully vaccinated by July 19.
Speaking to RTE's Morning Ireland on Wednesday, he said: "We should have significant supplies to complete the programme by the week commencing 19th of July based on the confirmations that we got from them [AstraZeneca].
"Over the next five weeks, based on confirmed from AstraZeneca all the supplies that we have, everyone will have received their second dose of AstraZeneca by that week.
"It will probably be our biggest week ever this week. We'll complete a total vaccination programme of somewhere between 310,000 and 330,000 and that will be the same next week.
"Of that, 90,000 AstraZeneca will be done and then after that roughly 100,000 per week bringing us up to the middle of July where we'll have the full 450,000 complete."
He added: "Just when you think you're out of the woods it [the virus] comes back to catch you. Certainly from the evidence in the UK with the Delta variant it is important to get people fully vaccinated.
"That's why this accelerated programme has been put in place.
"You're at your highest level of protection when you've got your second dose we really need people to come forward."
Mr Reid added that we would see a "peak" in vaccine supplies over the next few weeks before it slows down again as the use of Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca jabs are limited for use on people aged 50 and over.
"It's specifically based on recommendations from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), as to what vaccines can be utilised for what age.
"The recommendations are very clear that the mRNA vaccines [Pfizer and Moderna] are the vaccines that are recommended now as we move down the ages and we will soon move into 30- 39s."
Mr Reid added that around 3.25 million vaccines have been administered to date - stressing that the benefits of the vaccine are beginning to show.
He said: "Today we have people 55 positive inpatient cases in hospital with Covid with 23 in ICU. The dark days of January there was over 2,000 people in hospital and over 212 in ICU.
"But equally important it is facilitating the Government to make decisions on the economy and society.
"It also is increasing the public mood and confidence generally so while we have that concern about the Delta variant I think we should stand back and recognise the really strong benefits we're seeing from the vaccination programme."
