Vaccine queues
Long queues formed at vaccination centres around the country today as people turned out to receive a Covid-19 booster jab.
The rollout of the additional dose extended to people over the age of 50 from today.
The HSE has been forced to give estimated wait times for vaccination centres and earlier advised the public that some venues, such as Croke Park and University College Dublin (UCD), were no longer accepting people for the day as they have reached capacity.
Those running the vaccination centre at UCD have apologised to the people who were turned away or faced long waits, as did Taoiseach Micheál Martin who said officials are keen to make vaccines "as accessible to people as we possibly can".
This comes as the HSE is working to upgrade the vaccine booking system amid frustrations regarding double-bookings and missed appointments.
Covid supports
Enhanced supports for businesses who qualify for the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) have been announced by the Government.
The changes will apply for December and January to assist businesses impacted by ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, particularly the late night and live entertainment industries.
The end-date for the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) has also been pushed back to January 31st.
Inflation
Inflation hit a 20-year high of 5.3 per cent in November as housing and energy prices continue to soar.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the latest change is the largest annual increase since June 2001.
Figures show the most significant increase was recorded in transport, which rose by 16.2 per cent due to higher prices for diesel, petrol and cars.
However, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said people should see cheaper energy bills in the new year on foot of Government efforts to tackle the matter, telling the Dáil the Coalition is developing specific measures to tackle rising energy prices.
Lotto
Representatives from the National Lottery are due to appear before an Oireachtas Committee next week as the controversial €19 million jackpot has still not been won.
This comes after Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan called for an urgent probe into the “unwinnable” lotto draw.
The record-breaking jackpot has been rolling since it was last won on June 5th.
