Ireland's EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness has said the Commission is hopeful that the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine will be approved, and that 200 million doses have been ordered for EU states, meaning Ireland should receive 2.2 million doses.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Philip Boucher Hayes programme, Ms McGuinness said advance purchase agreements will allow companies ramp up production, adding that 300 million new vaccines from Moderna are also on order.
She said the EU will have more vaccines than it will need, adding this is good because they will be able to provide vaccinations globally rather than "just vaccinating ourselves" and sitting back and saying "we're fine now".