The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine can be used for those aged 70 years and older, in fresh advice to the Department of Health.
It has also said that there should be no delay in vaccination. The new recommendation may clear the way for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be used for this older age group.
So far, over 100,000 of people in this age group have been given a first dose mainly the Pfizer vaccine. But there are a total of close to half a million people in Cohort 3 - those aged 70 and older - to be vaccinated.
The new advice updates the original advice from NIAC on 2 February last which recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine could be used for those aged 65 and older, but where