Fewer than 1% in high-risk category have received Covid vaccine
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Fewer than 1% of people in a high-risk category has received a Covid-19 vaccine, new figures have shown.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has defended the figures saying many people in Cohort 7 have been offered an injection through the age-based system.
As of Sunday, just 2,785 people in Cohort 7 have been given their first dose.
While people in this grouping are being vaccinated by their GPs or in hospitals, a large number of general practitioners have chosen not to take part in the vaccination programme for people in Cohort 7.
People in this 16-59 group are at high risk of developing a severe reaction if they catch Covid-19 due to underlying conditions.
This morning, the HSE says the overall cohort sizes have yet to be adjusted since the introduction of age-based groups in April.
The HSE adds that as a result, many people in Group 7 may have already been vaccinated based on their age cohorts.
To date, over 283,000 over 60s, and more than 20,000 over 50s, have been vaccinated.
It also adds that many people in Group 7 may have been categorised as Group 4, which are people with medical conditions which put them at a very high risk of severe disease.
The HSE also said that its priority is to administer vaccines to those in Group 4, and that it has moved on to Group 7.
The plan is to administer up to 60,000 vaccines to very high-risk and high-risk groups this week.
Meanwhile, more than half a million people are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
As of May 9, a total of 1,848,747 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland.
Some 1,347,561 people have received their first dose, while 501,186 people have received two doses.