Injections of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine start in Northern Ireland GP practices today. A batch of 50,000 doses has been allocated, with those aged over 80 prioritised initially.
Northern Ireland has moved to accelerate delivery of the jab as the pace of the pandemic has picked up, with the new and more infectious variant of Covid-19 detected there.
The number of coronavirus infections has increased rapidly. Chief medical officers across the United Kingdom have decided to delay delivery of the second shot of vaccines.
The intention is that the maximum number of people receive their first jab, giving partial protection, as quickly as possible to help stop the tide of cases which threatens to overwhelm the health service.