Ireland's Covid-19 vaccine rollout continues amid global shortages, with 18,500 doses administered between Monday and Wednesday this week.
The HSE confirmed a total of 161,500 vaccines have been given to date – 147,700 first doses and 13,800 second doses.
The update comes as Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly admitted that Ireland’s Covid-19 vaccination programme is likely to miss its target of inoculating 700,000 people by the end of March.
Mr Donnelly told the Dáil on Thursday that the “indicative target” was heavily caveated and dependent on vaccine supplies from AstraZeneca.
He said it was “very frustrating” that AstraZeneca may not be delivering the full amount anticipated by the Government.
As part of the deal with the pharmaceuticals giant, the Republic was due to receive 600,000 coronavirus vaccines in the coming weeks.
The interruption to supply will likely affect the domestic vaccine rollout and the Government’s targets for the months ahead.
The latest figures show that 3 per cent of the State's population have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, compared to more than 9 per cent in Northern Ireland.
More than 50 nations administering vaccines have published data.
The table below, using official statistics collated by Our World in Data – an online scientific publication linked to Oxford University – shows the total Covid vaccine doses administered in each country.
As of 5pm on Thursday, Ireland has the third highest vaccination rate in the European Union, behind Malta and Denmark.
In absolute numbers, Germany is the EU country that has administered the most doses, with 2 million given out.
The United States has given the most doses overall, with more than 23.5 million, while China has administered 22.8 million.
Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the UK top the global list when the figures are broken down by population, with 49, 28 and 12 doses administered per 100 people respectively.
Most countries are prioritising the over-60s, health workers and people who are clinically vulnerable.
A global vaccine shortage problem is affecting EU countries in particular.
AstraZeneca pledged earlier this month to supply 2 million doses a week to the UK, but has also said it will cut deliveries to the EU from 80 million doses to 31 million during the first quarter of 2021.
Pharmaceutical firm Pfizer has also temporarily slowed supplies of its vaccine in order to make manufacturing changes.
Because the EU decided to procure their Covid vaccination doses collectively, the supply issues hitting Ireland are affecting other countries in the bloc.
Portugal said the first phase of its vaccination plan will be extended by around two months into April, as delivery delays mean it will receive half the expected doses by March.
Germany faces a shortage well into April, its health minister said. “We will still have at least 10 tough weeks with a shortage of vaccine,” the minister, Jens Spahn, said in a tweet.
Paris and two other regions that together account for a third of the French population are postponing giving out first doses, health officials said on Thursday.
