The chair of the National immunisation Advisory Committee, Professor Karina Butler, has described as “encouraging” news that the European Medicines Agency expects drug maker AstraZeneca to apply for approval of its Covid-19 vaccine next week with approval by the end of the month.
“It would be very good news” she told RTÉ radio’s News at One. The “more forgiving” aspect of the AstraZeneca vaccine would make it ideal for community roll out of the vaccine through pharmacists and GPs.
The AstraZeneca vaccine does not have the same stringent requirements as the Pfizer vaccine. It is not as time sensitive, she explained. The Pfizer vaccine has to be administered within a limited time.
Ireland would stand to get a large tranche of the vaccine which would enable the vaccination programme to extend to “more people very quickly” she said.
