EU could have disrupted vaccine supply, NI health minister warns

Q Radio News/PA

The EU could have endangered vaccine supplies to Northern Ireland by enforcing Irish Sea trade disruption, the health minister said.

The Oxford AstraZeneca jab is manufactured in the UK but the Pfizer BioNTech’s vaccine comes from a plant in Belgium, and has in the past been routed to Belfast via Dublin.

The European Commission was forced into an embarrassing U-turn on Friday when it backtracked on an attempt to restrict the free flow of vaccine across the Irish border.

Robin Swann said: “This had potentially very real implications for ourselves because we had vaccine actually in transit, and had that article been enforced we may have seen difficulties in the supply and the arrival of vaccines here in Northern Ireland.”

More than 246,000 doses have been administered.

LATEST #COVID19 VACCINE UPDATE FOR NI:

246,421 vaccines have been administered, of which 221,809 were first doses and 24,612 were second doses. pic.twitter.com/6RIV4J4Qal

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) February 1, 2021

Mr Swann said: “Vaccine is not something that should become political.”

Arlene Foster has accused Boris Johnson of a dereliction of duty and claimed he is not doing enough to address unionist “anguish” over Irish Sea trade disruption.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister demanded action from the Prime Minister following the EU’s “horrific” botched move to invoke a mechanism to suspend elements of the new post-Brexit arrangements.

Appointments can now be booked by telephone, as well as online:

NI Dept. of Health: #COVID19 vaccination booking line for 65-69 year-olds is now open. Where possible we would encourage booking appointments online and reserve the telephone line for those who can't use the online site. pic.twitter.com/aZuTjdWEwS

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) February 1, 2021