Taoiseach Micheál Martin has reaffirmed the Government's target of ensuring that 80% of adults either receive their first Covid-19 vaccine, or are offered one, by the end of June.
Replying to Labour leader Alan Kelly in the Dáil, Mr Martin said: "the target is still the target." He also clarified that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) will meet tomorrow to consider the latest advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that the benefits of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine outweigh the risk of rare clots that have been linked to the jab.
Mr Kelly contended that "speed is of the essence" when it comes to vaccine roll-out and NIAC needed to meet urgently. He said: "every day counts".