Over 65s in long-term care, frontline healthcare workers and people over 70 will be the first in Ireland to get the Covid-19 vaccine once it is approved.
It comes as Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced the allocation strategy for Covid-19 vaccines, following sign-off from Cabinet.
The minister also announced that there should be no barrier to people accessing a vaccine, and therefore the vaccine programme will be available free of charge to everyone in Ireland.
Cabinet agree how COVID-19 vaccine will be administered
— Mícheál Lehane (@MichealLehane) December 8, 2020
1 Adults >65 in long term care
2 Frontline health workers
3 Those aged > 70
4 Others in contact with patients
5 Those aged 65-69
6 Key workers
7 People 18-64 with medical conditions or in care
8 Those in crowded conditions
A Cabinet memo brought by Mr Donnelly was based on a report from the Department of Health and the State's National Immunisation Advisory Committee.
It prioritises frontline healthcare workers who are in direct contact with patients, people aged 18-64 with medical conditions or in care and those in crowded conditions.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told the Dáil last week that people working in high-risk environments, such as meat plants, could also be included.
A high-level task force, charged with the overseeing the logistics of vaccine distribution, is due to publish its report on Friday.
It is understood that Government views a public information plan around the vaccine roll-out to be of very high importance, with a particular focus on an evidence-based approach, consultation and transparency.
Minister Donnelly said he hopes to bring the vaccination strategy and implementation plan to Cabinet for approval next Tuesday.
Other elements of the roll-out, including how a vaccine will be transported, stored and administered are expected to be included in the overall plan.
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Mr Donnelly said: "While some may be tempted to let their guards down now that there are vaccines on the horizon, it is crucially important to continue to follow the public health guidance.
"Covid-19 is still a deadly disease. Through so much hard work and sacrifice, we now have the lowest 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 in the EU.
"We are in a good position, and we want to keep it like that. Please remember that every single contact counts."
Also speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Donnelly said the decision on how to roll-out the Covid-19 vaccine marks "a good day" for Ireland at the end of a tough year in the fight against the virus.
Mr Donnelly said that the prioritisation was based on two objections: to save lives and to reduce serious illness.
Over 65s in long-term care, frontline healthcare workers and people over 70 will be the first in Ireland to get the Covid-19 vaccine once it is approved. | Read more: https://t.co/OvKgsdw7sF pic.twitter.com/zoHieazrAl
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 8, 2020
Mr Donnelly said the list was decided by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team and agreed today by the Cabinet.
He said the National Vaccine Taskforce will report to the Government on Friday about how to "roll-out and operatilise" the priority list.
The minister said that those in long-term residential care are at the top of the list, as this group had the highest number of fatalities during the first wave of the virus.
Likewise, he said, that one in five Covid-19 cases in the country are among healthcare workers, so they too are a high risk category.
He said that the Department of Health, the task force, the Chief Medical Officer and NPHET will work to decide on how to prioritise people within categories, for example of those with a medical condition that puts them at risk.
Advance purchase agreements in place
The minister later said that Ireland has advance purchase agreements for several million doses of different vaccine candidates, including 2.3 million from Pfizer.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is expected to be the first to be approved in the EU at the end of this month.
Minister Donnelly said that there is a schedule for how many doses will be made available "per quarter" but that none of this has been fully signed off by Pfizer and the various member states.
He said he expects this to be part of the European Medicines Agency authorisation process, which is due to meet on 29 December at the latest to give its assessment.
"Through that process there will be final agreement on the quantities of the first amounts to go to each of the EU member states", he said.
"There is no EU member state who knows exactly what the first delivery of their advance purchase will be at this point."
However, he said even when the first vaccine becomes available, it is going to take time for every country to roll it out to priority groups and then to everybody else.
Mr Donnelly said: "We don't yet know what the sequencing is going to be on the other vaccines.
"We don't know which of the other vaccines are going to be authorised and the exact amounts and volumes for every member state still have to be agreed with the various pharmaceutical companies as to when they arrive, so certainly we will not be beyond Covid in January."
Meanwhile, the roll-out of a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has begun in Northern Ireland, while in Coventry in England, a 90-year-old grandmother became the first person in the world to receive a Covid-19 vaccine outside of a clinical trial.
Dr Paul Moynagh, Professor of Immunology at Maynooth University and Queens University, said the vaccine roll-out will take several months and a decision on the relaxation of restrictions will depend on data monitoring how the vaccine works.
Speaking on RTÉ's Six One News, he said data from trials had not indicated if the vaccines protect against infection, or if they only give protection against the disease.
It remains to be seen if they will suppress transmission of the virus, he said, adding that once most of the highly vulnerable groups have been vaccinated, a discussion will be needed about the necessity for lockdowns.
