Covid-19: Ireland to resume Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine rollout

The Republic of Ireland temporarily suspended the use of the vaccine as a precaution

The Republic of Ireland is to resume administering the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine this weekend.

The country's National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) recommended the move after an review by The European Medicines Agency (EMA).

It follows a temporary suspension of the vaccine in Ireland after reports of blood clotting in adults in Norway.

On Friday, 10 more Covid-19 related deaths were reported in the Republic, taking its death toll to 4,576.

A further 507 cases of the virus were also recorded, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 229,306.

There are currently 336 Covid-19 patients in hospitals in the Republic, of which 87 are in ICU.

UK and EU regulators conducted a "thorough and careful review" of all blood clotting events occurring with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to determine if there is a possible safety risk.

On Thursday, the EMA concluded that the benefits of the vaccine in combating the threat of Covid-19 "continue to outweigh the risk of side effects".

More than 117,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered in the Republic of Ireland.

Ireland's Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said administration of the vaccine will resume this weekend.