Hope springs eternal: HSE plans vaccine surge in April

A last-minute adjustment to ditch the AstraZeneca jab for the over-70s brought another unwelcome delay to the vaccine rollout, but GPs say steady work is being done behind the scenes

Some practitioners say the failure of the HSE to let them use large centres such as parish halls has hampered the fast delivery of vaccines Pic: Getty

Ireland’s painfully slow decline in daily Covid-19 cases has placed heightened emphasis – if that were possible – on the timely and efficient rollout of our national vaccination programme.

With the country reported to be stuck in strict lockdown for the next number of weeks, it’s looking increasingly like achieving herd immunity by way of mass vaccination may be our only route of escape from a life of permanent uncertainty.

Our proximity to the UK ...