MINISTER For Health Stephen Donnelly says that four in five Irish adults will be offered at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine before July.
The Wicklow TD was looking to offer hope that summer holidays were still on cards for Irish folk and that the nation's vaccination programme was beginning to pick up pace.
Mr Donnelly said that Ireland would be receiving in excess of 1.1 million doses of the vaccine in the next five days.
He added that in April, May and June, the country will aim to get around a million vaccines done every month, but that this was heavily dependent on delivery times being met.
"The date we've been looking to is June... and if the vaccines come in as agreed, four in every five adults in the country, it will be possible to offer a vaccine, either one dose or both doses, for many by the end of June," Donnelly said.
"It's a very positive message as we're moving into April because June isn't far away."
Minister Donnelly said he understood that people are exhausted and frustrated about lockdown, but pleaded for the public to give it "more time" in order to allow the vaccine roll-out to fully take effect.
"It must feel to many that this pandemic will never end. This pandemic will end ... its end is firmly in sight."
When asked in the Dáil about whether or not AstraZeneca would fulfil its "original obligation" to Ireland, a frustrated Minister Donnelly confirmed that they wouldn't, and that the country would be receiving 100,000 fewer doses of the vaccine than expected.
"As of right now, AstraZeneca has not committed to the EU Commission that it will fulfil its original obligation," he said.
