IRELAND has placed an order to purchase a further 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
European Union nations are to be given initial shares of any potential vaccine based on their population, as per the terms of a collective supply deal agreed with the manufacturers, but more doses can be ordered by way of a bidding process.
Ireland was initially given two million doses, but the Government has since bid for more.
They've now secured an advanced purchase order on 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, which will be more than enough to vaccinate the entire country if need be.
The EU commission has agreed to purchase orders with five vaccine trials, and is in negotiations with a sixth in Moderna.
The initial two million doses that were to be given to Ireland were arriving courtesy of Pfizer, who were the first pharmaceutical company to announce successful trials of a vaccine for coronavirus earlier this month.
Pfizer's vaccine required a double dose, however, so could've only have sufficiently supplied around a fifth of the nation.
But with a further 10 million doses secured, any fears of insufficient supply have been allayed.
The Irish-born executive director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Emer Cooke has said that "all going well" the agency could be in a position to approve new Covid-19 vaccines before Christmas.
Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford's Covid-19 vaccine trials have all produced results showing over 90% effectiveness.
