Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine to be rolled out in NI from Monday

The vaccination programme for the most recent Coronavirus jab to be approved will begin in Northern Ireland on Monday.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said an initial batch of 50,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca had been allocated.

Dr McBride said those would be rolled out to GP practices on Monday:

"The GP programme will run alongside the ongoing vaccination programme and will prioritise those over 80 initially but will quickly work down through the priority groups recommended for vaccination by JCVI (Joint Committee on vaccination and Immunisation.)''

"JCVI have now recommended that as many people on the JCVI priority list as possible should be offered a first vaccine dose as the initial priority.

"The four UK chief medical officers agree with JCVI that prioritising the first doses of vaccine for as many people as possible will deliver the greatest benefit in the shortest possible time.

"First and foremost, we must act to protect those most at risk of severe disease and death. The evidence shows that the initial dose of vaccine offers as much as 70% protection against the effects of the virus.

"Providing that level of protection on a large scale will have the greatest impact on reducing mortality and hospitalisations, protecting the health and social care system. It is the right thing to do for the public health.''