Ireland did the right thing in pausing its rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to protect confidence in the vaccine programme, Ireland's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn said on Thursday.
The country, which halted the rollout last Sunday on concerns about blood clots, is due to decide on Friday whether to resume use of the vaccine after the EU's drug watchdog found it "safe and effective."
"I believe that the right decision was made. We acted swiftly and in the best interest of the population but also in the interests of the vaccination programme," Glynn told a press briefing.
"I would hope that in time it will be seen to have protected the vaccination programme, to protect confidence in the vaccination programme and in time will be seen to have been the right thing to do," he said.
(Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Frances Kerry)
