Over 35% of all adults in Northern Ireland now vaccinated

Currently, mass vaccine centres are administering vaccines from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer while the Astra Zeneca vaccine is being given to people through GPs.

But with more than 35% of the adult population having already had their first dose, the programme is now set to be “even busier in the coming weeks”, according to the minister.

Speaking at a Stormont press conference yesterday as new figures gave a breakdown of vaccine rates by age group, he described the statistics as “positive”.

“Our approach – which is firmly based on the principle of based on cautious optimism – is producing dividends,” he said

“We expect the programme to be even busier in the coming weeks, with supplies of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine scheduled to increase very significantly.

“The vaccination programme will be scaled up accordingly and plans to that effect are being finalised this week.”

The latest statistics from Mr Swann’s department show that a total of 582,881 vaccines have now been administered.

Of these, 545,019 have been first doses and 37,862 second doses.

That represents approximately 37.5% of the adult population having had at least one dose, and 2.6% having had both doses.

In terms of first doses only, 96% of over 80-year-olds are now covered, along with 91% of those in the 75-79 age group, 86% of those aged 70-74, 72% of those in the 65-69 age group and 45% of those considered clinically extremely vulnerable to the virus who had not already been included on the basis of age.