A coronavirus vaccine will be rolled out 'within days' if EU regulators give it the green light later this month, Stephen Donnelly has said.
The Health Minister says Pfizer vaccines are currently being held in super-cold storage in Belgium, and will be moved to Ireland 'very quickly' if it's approved.
Regulators have said they'll be assessing the vaccine on December 29th 'at the latest' - although Minister Donnelly said they've offered no indication yet whether they'll meet before that date.
He was speaking after the Government signed off on a plan to place nursing home staff and residents at the top of the queue for the vaccine, as part of a 15-phase priority plan.
Meanwhile, the first vaccines have been administered in Northern Ireland after the UK approved the Pfizer jab for use last week.
On The Hard Shoulder today, Minister Donnelly said the plan being put in place in the Republic is aimed at saving as many lives as possible and reducing the levels of serious illness.
Primary and secondary staff are 11th on the priority list, but the Health Minister said those at risk will receive the jab earlier under the plans to vaccine older and medically vulnerable people.
He explained: "The teachers who are high risk - because of age or underlying conditions - are covered much higher up.
"The teaching body... they were deemed to be not as high risk of serious illness or death. That's what's driving everything.
"They are, obviously, deemed essential for education. After healthcare workers and workers in very high risk settings such as meat processing plant, teachers are in fact the next group of people."
He said there's also been some misunderstandings about the 'key workers' covered in the sixth phase of the plan.
He noted these aren't the likes of gardaí or food supply workers (covered in phase 13), but instead those directly involved in getting the vaccines rolled out.
Vaccine rollout
In terms of timescales, Minister Donnelly said a few things still need to happen before a timeline can be developed - including the European Medicines Agency actually giving the OK to vaccines.
He said: "If they do it on [December] 29th, we will be rolling out the vaccines within days, just like the UK has done.
"The Pfizer vaccines are in super-cold storage in Belgium... as soon as the go-ahead is given - if indeed it is given... then we move it very quickly to Ireland, move to it to hubs, and then out to the highest-priority groups.
He said Pfizer only submitted their application to the EU last week, so regulators are moving very quickly.
The regulators are also due to meet on January 12th to assess a second vaccine.
However, for now health ministers are only been told December 29th 'at the latest' for a potential decision on Pfizer's vaccine.
He said Ireland has advance purchased 2.5 million doses of the two-dose vaccine, but stressed that doesn't mean all those doses arrive in here on day one.
Once high-risk groups are vaccinated, Minister Donnelly said he imagines NPHET will look at a "graduated easing of restrictions as more and more people are vaccinated".
