An additional 285,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines will arrive in Ireland this month, according to the Minister for Health.
A separate 205,000 to 210,000 doses will be delivered to pharmacies across the country from tomorrow.
It’s part of the acceleration of the vaccine rollout as the Delta variant continues to spread.
Secretary General of the Irish Pharmacy Union Darragh O’Loughlin says members are trying their best to cope with the demand for vaccines.
Mr O'Loughlin said: “We know more vaccines are going to be distributed, unfortunately there are not as many Janssen [Johnson & Johnson] vaccines as there are people aged between 18-84, that's just the reality, but we're doing the best we can and the HSE is doing the best it can with the number of vaccines that are available.”
Covid cases
An additional 397 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland today.
As of 8am today, 54 coronavirus patients are hospitalised, of which 16 are in ICU.
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “We are seeing a small but concerning increase in hospitalisations in recent days, coming 10-14 days after the five day moving average of daily case numbers began to increase. This is a cause for concern and we will be monitoring it closely in the days and weeks ahead.
“Full vaccination is needed to protect against Covid-19, including the Delta variant. To protect yourselves and your loved ones, it is extremely important to take up the opportunity of being vaccinated and come forward for your second dose as soon as it is offered to you. The second vaccination is very effective at preventing both disease and hospitalisation.”
