Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has said the Government should listen to the concerns people may have around coronavirus vaccines.
He said Ireland is set to start rolling out a vaccine a week after it gets the green light.
And he hopes the summer is a realistic goal to have things return to some degree of normality.
Mr Ryan told Newstalk Breakfast: "I think the best approach is to listen to the concerns and then try and address them".
He said this should be done in a "reasonable, rational manner" and to "treat them with respect but not ignore the concerns that they have."
"Our safety is all collectively enhanced the more people take the vaccine".
On hopes for a normal summer in 2021, he said: "It'll depend... on the uptake of the vaccine, the effectiveness of it, the availability of it."
In this photo illustration, vials labelled as 'Coronavirus vaccine' and a syringe seen displayed. Picture by: SOPA Images/SIPA USA/PA ImagesCabinet ministers are considering a report that will set out how the vaccines should be distributed.
A high-level COVID-19 taskforce says there will be five places it will be possible to get a vaccine.
Firstly in long-term residential care homes and healthcare settings like hospitals - in order to give the most vulnerable and frontline health workers first access.
Later next year, large scale vaccine sites will be set up in a similar manner to how large testing centres were put together.
Finally, in later stages, the vaccinations will be available from GPs and pharmacists.
Minister Ryan said: "We're waiting for the European Medicines Agency giving the all-clear - it'll take a week or two after that [to] start administering at least one of the six vaccines".
While public health expert Dr Gabriel Scally has said the vaccine will see Ireland 'turn the corner'.
Dr Scally said: "I was terribly impressed by the way in which the testing was rolled out so rapidly at the beginning of the pandemic.
"When it really started getting going it was very innovative, very fast, very responsive – I thought it was great.
"I have a lot of confidence that this will absolutely turn the corner for the country."
EU regulators are expected to decide whether to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by the end of the month, with a decision on the Moderna vaccine in January.
