29th Jun 2021 05:40
(Alliance News) - Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has confirmed that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee has recommended to Government that the AstraZeneca PLC and Janssen vaccines can be administered to 18 to 40-year-olds.
The committee has also recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine dose gap be reduced to four weeks, to allow more people in their 60s to be fully vaccinated faster.
The current gap between dose one and two is being reduced from 12 weeks to eight at present.
Asked on Monday night about the NIAC recommendations, Donnelly said: "It will be for all age groups for Janssen and AstraZeneca."
The change in guidance on using the jabs in younger age cohorts will help speed up the vaccination programme, the Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said earlier.
The State's Covid-19 vaccine advisory group had assessed how a possible change in advice would affect the spread of the virus.
Leo Varadkar said the NIAC would give advice based on the best medical and scientific data.
"There are some decisions that are more in the political domain than others, and I think that this issue, particularly around the use of medicines and vaccines, is very much in the domain of the experts rather than politicians," he said on Monday.
"We are not going to be in a position to overrule their advice when it comes to something purely medical and scientific like the use of vaccines.
"We will be guided by what they say."
Previously, the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson Janssen jabs were recommended for over-50s only due to incidences of rare blood clotting being linked to the vaccines.
The government wanted to see a change in advice so that surplus AstraZeneca vaccines arriving in the next few weeks can be used on younger age groups.
Varadkar said it would be "unfortunate" if hundreds of thousands of vaccines cannot be used.
He added that he would support sending the surplus vaccines to other countries.
"The advantage of being able to use those AZ and Janssen vaccines once we have them – and we'll have them in a few weeks' time – is that would allow us to protect more people, more quickly," Varadkar added.
"If the Delta wave is coming, that makes sense to me.
"It has to be balanced of course with the risk of the very rare blood clot.
"Bear in mind when it comes to Pfizer in young people there's a very rare heart condition you can get too, so it's not that any vaccine has no risks of side-effects. They both do."
Varadkar also said he will not put pressure on the NIAC to confirm its advice before Cabinet meets on Tuesday to decide on the reopening plans for July 5.
"I believe that when it comes to decisions of the use of medicines and vaccines, it's what NIAC says that matters, these are not political decisions," he added.
"Of course it would be useful to have that advice for the Cabinet meeting tomorrow but it's not for me to put pressure or to rush the advice.
"It would be great as it would potentially allow us to speed up and update the vaccine programme, but if they are not able to make a decision, there is good reason for that."
By Cate McCurry and Jonathan McCambridge
source: PA
Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Related Shares:
Astrazeneca