The Health Minister has praised the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in Northern Ireland saying "we are on our way to one million doses".
The Department of Health says there have been 609,798 vaccines administered so far in the country. Of these, 568,011 are first doses and 41,787 second doses.
This includes over 44,000 clinically vulnerable people.
Robin Swann said: "“These figures, which are significantly ahead of schedule, represent the tremendous effort and dedication of our vaccination teams at Trust centres and GP practices across Northern Ireland. I know the huge amount of planning and hard work that has gone into delivering this highly complex programme and I want to thank all of our vaccinators, administrators and volunteers who are making this happen.
“Every jab takes us further down the pathway towards a better and safer future. We’re on our way to a million doses and very soon we will be rolling out the programme to all adults through the mass vaccination phase of the programme.”
The vaccine rollout was expanded further this week with it now being offered to those aged 60 to 64, along with carers.
Since the start of the vaccine programme, nearly 123,000 health and social care staff have received their jab, including Health Trust employed staff and independent staff from the wider sector.
Patricia Donnelly, head of the vaccination programme in Northern Ireland, commented: “This has been another outstanding week for our vaccination teams and with a good supply of vaccine to hand, we are moving forward at pace. I would urge all who are eligible but who have not stepped forward yet to make their appointments as soon as possible.
“In the coming weeks, community pharmacists will join the vaccination efforts, working in tandem with GPs and the regional vaccination centres to ensure the vaccine is even more accessible to people of all ages right across Northern Ireland.
"In addition, we will receive a boost in supplies of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine which means we can use it in some of our regional vaccination centres, as well as in GP practices and pharmacies. This is very welcome news.”
