Supply of Covid-19 jabs will begin to ramp up in the next few months, HSE boss Paul Reid has assured the nation.
Mr Reid reported that more than 100,000 vaccines will be administered this week.
He promised the public will “begin to see the light emerging” as the vaccination programme continues.
He added that, in recent weeks, there were 40,000 to 45,000 vaccines administered each week, but last week 80,000 vaccines were issued and this coming week will see 100,000 administered.
Of those administered last week, 13,500 were to those aged over 85, 25,000 were to frontline healthcare workers and 42,000 were to the staff and residents of long-term care facilities.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Mr Reid said that plans for April should see more predictability of supply and it is hoped to issue over a million vaccines a month - or 250,000 vaccines a week from then.
Up to 31 March, 1.25 million vaccines in total are set to be supplied, with 417,000 administered in February and plans to vaccinate 620,000 in March.
Mr Reid said the plans will see all over-70s (around half a million people) vaccinated with two doses by mid-May.
He described the mass vaccination of 1,000 over 85s at the Helix in Dublin on Saturday as a “joyous and electric occasion”.
He added that the HSE is keen to roll out vaccine supplies as quickly as possible, with mobilisation plans in place to supply GPs and 40 mass vaccination centres across the country, including, for example, at the Helix where there are plans to administer 5,000 vaccines a day.
Mr Reid said the centres will run for 12 hours a day, seven days a week and the HSE may look to increase this if supplies allow.
