GPs should be able to finish vaccinating the over-70s by the middle of May as planned, Chair of the Irish Medical Organisation's GP Committee Dr Denis McCauley has said.
Dr McCauley said the over-85s are essentially vaccinated and the over-80s should be vaccinated by the end of this week.
Going forward, he said, it will be a roll-out in the different age groups.
He said that there will be a ramp-up in vaccination supplies in the second quarter of this year and he hopes the infrastructure and planning will be available when this happens.
Dr McCauley told RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne that up to this point every vaccine that comes into Ireland is used very quickly and he hopes this can continue.
Dr McCauley said communication with GPs has improved, although supply issues will remain for the rest of March due to a shortage in the Moderna vaccine.
He said that 160 GP practices received no vaccines for their 70 to 80 age group but that from now on practices will be informed of the vaccine amounts they are to receive a week in advance.
Dr McCauley said there are a number of patients in the very high-risk group who will not be able to attend hospital and receive a vaccine there, so there are discussions ongoing with the Health Service Executive to identify these people and the best way to vaccinate them when supply becomes available.
He said that it is highly likely that the European Medicines Agency will rubber stamp the resumption of the use of AstraZeneca later today but it will have to explain the circumstances around the four cases in Norway when it delivers its report.
Dr McCauley said AstraZeneca is important to the under 70s. However, he added that AstraZeneca is just one part of the programme and dependency on that vaccine will lessen as other vaccines come on stream.
He said he believes it is too early to begin talking about travel and noted that just 10% of the population here is vaccinated.
He said we should "get our own house in order" and get as many people vaccinated as possible before we can start "dreaming about travelling".
President of the Garda Representative Association Frank Thornton said it makes "no sense or logic" that gardaí are given "low prioritisation" on the vaccination list.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said he will be meeting Minister for Justice Helen McEntee today to outline his organisation's concerns.
"We feel now we need to be vaccinated because of exposure we have every day doing our duty."
He explained that when the national vaccination plan was published there was a "complete lack of awareness" regarding the roles and functions of gardaí.
He said that during this pandemic they have been faced with "unplanned contact" with members of the public and find themselves in uncontrolled circumstances where often social distancing is impossible.
While acknowledging that the most vulnerable of workers are those in the Health Service Executive and should be prioritised, he said he believes gardaí should be a priority after that group.
He said gardaí are facing into the unknown without protection from the coronavirus, which could infect them and their families.
He said gardaí have consistently delivered and "stepped up to the plate" and described "ridiculous situations" where he said gardaí have gone into emergency departments in hospitals and other settings where they are at risk of exposing themselves to the virus and also those who are not vaccinated.
Describing widespread frustration among gardaí, he said when they were told a few weeks ago to wait their turn it was "received very poorly" by frontline members.
Admitting that the pandemic is fraying relations between the force and the public, he said everyone is now weary after one year of this pandemic.
He said gardaí are no different to anyone else in this regard, however, he said they remain focused on policing during the pandemic and he said the vast majority of the public have been acting responsibly in relation to the current guidelines.
He said his message for the Minister for Justice today is a "clear awareness of health and safety of members on frontline" and awareness of their roles.
Criticism over 'low prioritisation' of gardaí on vaccine priority list
President of the Garda Representative Association Frank Thornton has said it makes "no sense or logic" that gardaí are given "low prioritisation" on the vaccination list.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said he will be meeting Minister for Justice Helen McEntee today to outline his organisation's concerns.
"We feel now we need to be vaccinated because of exposure we have every day doing our duty."
He explained that when the national vaccination plan was published there was a "complete lack of awareness" regarding the roles and functions of gardaí.
He said that during this pandemic they have been faced with "unplanned contact" with members of the public and find themselves in uncontrolled circumstances where often social distancing is impossible.
While acknowledging that the most vulnerable of workers are those in the Health Service Executive and should be prioritised he said he believes gardaí should be a priority after that group.
He said gardaí are facing into the unknown without protection from the coronavirus, which could infect them and their families.
He said gardaí have consistently delivered and "stepped up to the plate" and described "ridiculous situations" where he said gardaí have gone into emergency departments in hospitals and other settings where they are at risk of exposing themselves to the virus and also those who are not vaccinated.
Describing widespread frustration among gardaí, he said when they were told a few weeks ago to wait their turn it was "received very poorly" by frontline members.
Admitting that the pandemic is fraying relations between the force and the public, he said everyone is now weary after one year of this pandemic.
He said gardaí are no different to anyone else in this regard, however, he said they remain focused on policing during the pandemic and he said the vast majority of the public have been acting responsibly in relation to the current guidelines.
He said his message for the Minister for Justice today is a "clear awareness of health and safety of members on frontline" and awareness of their roles.
