The European Medicines Agency is expected to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for use on adolescents today, for the first time.
The EMA will decide whether to allow those aged 12 to 15 to get the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
A similar approval was granted in the US earlier this month.
Dr Anne Moore, a vaccines expert in UCC, says Ireland should give jabs to poor countries before vaccinating adolescents;
“It’s a safe vaccine, and it does work in adolescents. However we really need to prioritise vaccinating across the world, rather than making sure that every single person in each country in Europe is fully protected. We really need to start thinking about protecting more globally at this stage.”
In other vaccine news, people under 50 who received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine may get Pfizer or Moderna as their second dose.
The National Immunisation Advisory Committee outlined the possible changes in a letter to the Chief Medical Officer.
It said there is emerging evidence that the reported rate of unusual blood clots after the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine is higher than originally estimated.
