The first COVID-19 vaccines will be rolled out on 29 December with the number of cases surging again.
Paul Reid, Director General of the HSE, confirmed today that a small number of people at Beaumont, St James's, Cork and Galway University Hospitals will be the first to be inoculated with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine in two days time. Responding to criticism that the rollout in Ireland is happening after other EU countries, Paul Reid says that each country is taking a different approach with regard to sequencing and prioritisation.
The first batch of the vaccine arrived in Ireland yesterday. It will be rolled out across long term care facilities for residents and staff.
It's expected all staff and residents in nursing homes will have received the two doses by the end of February.
Tadhg Daly, CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland, says the rollout across nursing homes will begin on 11 January and must be safe and effective.
As the number of cases of infection surges, the HSE say that testing and tracing are now at an alarming level. GP Ray Walley says the rise in numbers is down to people letting their guard down and believes there will be a further rise due to greater interaction over the Christmas period.
From today, there is a limit on household visits. Only one household can visit one other household until New Year's Eve. No visits are permitted from New Year's Day.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 27 December 2020. The reporter is Laura Hogan.
