Stephen Donnelly has pledged to have the whole country vaccinated by the end of the summer.
The Minister for Health set the ambitious target of all jabs being complete by September during a Q&A on the vaccination programme in the Dáil.
Mr Donnelly said: “We are planning our programme based on a supply of vaccines that would mean every citizen can be vaccinated by September.”
He added: “Vaccines are on the way and we as a nation are on our way.”
Mr Donnelly also spoke about the “very, very good news” on the vaccinations rollout front, with all nursing homes, along with citizens over the age of 65 in mental health and disability centres, set to receive their first jabs by the end of this weekend.
And the Health Minister insisted we are still on track to meet immediate targets, despite the small dip in supply of Pfizer vaccines in recent days.
Mr Donnelly said: “Plans are being progressed to ensure vaccines can be delivered at pace as volumes increase in the coming weeks.
“The scale-up will be achieved through a number of partnerships including, as I said, GPs and pharmacists, but others as well, and through the mass vaccination centres.
“Planning is ongoing to mobilise the mass vaccination centres soon.
“From early February we will see them in operation.
“We expect to receive news from the European Medicines Agency, EMA, about the AstraZeneca vaccine at the end of January.
“The date set is 29 January.
“At that point we will be in a position to provide more accurate vaccination timelines for all citizens.
“I know people are looking for it and I hear that loud and clear and fully agree.
“As I said before, we are planning our programme based on a supply of vaccines that would mean every citizen can be vaccinated by September.
“That is what we are working to but, as colleagues are aware, the timelines are indicative.
“Hopefully, they will provide reassurances and clarity for people but I re-emphasise that these timelines are based on assumptions for the future delivery of other vaccines - including at this point AstraZeneca - which have yet to be approved.
“Companies behind the other vaccines have not even applied for approval yet.
“These are tentative timelines but I know people want a sense of where we are going and when people will get to be vaccinated.”
