THE supply and availability of the Covid-19 vaccine will be the biggest cause of delays in Ireland's rollout, an immunologyexpert said.

Professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, Kingston Mills, said Pfizer do not have enough of the jab to go around, and are cranking up manufacturing to meets countries' needs.

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Ireland's first doses of the jab will be administered this week at four hospitals, with a roll-out beginning nursing homes after.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has predicted that Ireland will see up to 20,000 people vaccinated a week from early January on.

Professor Mills said supply and availability of doses will be the largest challenge in Ireland's roll-out.

Speaking on Newstalk's Late Breakfastwith Mark Cagney, Prof Mills said: "I think what's going to delay the rollout is the supply and availability of vaccine.

We have currently got quite a small number of doses, only 10,000, so we are going to get through that quite quickly.

"So the delay in getting into health care workers and nursing homes is supply.

Pfizer just dont have enough of this vaccine to go around for all the countries that want it yet.

"They are going to be cranking up the manufacturing now and hopefully that will be solved in the weeks and months ahead.

According to Prof Mills, transparency is key in the vaccine roll-our in order to ensure successful uptake.

He said: There are huge benefits that is the thing that has to be said with these vaccines.

90 per cent of people 95 per cent in the cases of Pfizer will not get Covid if they are vaccinated. That is what the clinical trials show so that is a huge, huge benefit.

There were some side-effects. People got some injection site reactions; some people got a slight fever. These are all transient events that are often association with vaccination.

They need to be spelled out to the public and transparency is key to all of this.

"Making sure that everyone knows about any potential issues and then if people get a slight reaction, they will know that was common enough based on the clinical trial and it shouldnt be a problem.

Meanwhile, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has said Covid-19 restrictions over the coming weeks must be "sustainable" and may be in place for a "long period".

TheFine Gaelleader explained that the availability of the vaccine has "changed things" in regards to reopening the country.

And he said restrictions should be in place until the vulnerable are vaccinated.

Varadkar told RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland: "The availability of the vaccine does change things now.

"We can actually now foresee the point in which well have vaccinated those most at risk, the very elderly, people in residential care and healthcare workers.

"I think there is a case for saying that restrictions that are in place should stay in place until thats done.

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"But that also, needs to then be reflected in the kind of restrictions we put in place because they need to be sustainable for a long period.

"Theyre not just for three or four weeks."

Varadkar said that the Cabinet plan to review the restrictions on January 12 and that has not changed.

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Covid jab supply will be biggest cause of delay in Irish rollout as Pfizer dont have enough to go around, e - The Irish Sun