The Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine could be given the green light by EU authorities in nine days' time.
The European Medicines Agency is having an extraordinary meeting about the jab on Thursday of next week, March 11th.
It says it's possible a decision on approval will be made that day.
The United States has already given the jab the go-ahead, and it would be the fourth Covid vaccine available in Ireland.
Almost 300,000 people in the Republic have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, the latest figures show.
A total of 435,895 vaccines were administered up to February 27th – 294,550 first doses and 141,345 second doses.
More than 50,000 people aged over 70 (Cohort 3 in the vaccine priority list) have received their first dose.
In the North, 537,389 people had received their first jab by March 1st, while 35,370 are fully vaccinated.
