Hundreds of people aged 60-69 are still waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine in Co Louth, a local TD says.
Fergus O'Dowd says he's now been assured those affected will receive an appointment by the end of the week.
Currently, vaccine registration is open to everybody aged 45 or older.
However, some people in the 60-69 age category say they still haven't gotten their first dose, despite registering well over a month ago.
Speaking to Lunchtime Live, Mary in Ardee said she's one of those affected by the delays.
She said: “I’m 66 years of age. On Sunday 18th April, it was my turn to register. Everything seemed to be fine.
“My husband is two years older… he had registered two days before me. After about 7-10 days, he got a thing on his phone to say he was to go to Dundalk for his vaccination.
“I presumed a couple of days later I would get the same thing on my phone. Nothing happened.”
She has called the HSE helpline a number of times now, and despite staff doing the "best they can" she still hasn't received a confirmed appointment.
She said: “I’m not looking to go on a foreign holiday… I don’t care about going out to a restaurant or a pub.
"All I want to be able to be with my family and feel safe when I’m sitting with my [children] and grandchildren."
Hundreds waiting
Mary said she has heard there are "hundreds of people" in the same boat, and Deputy O'Dowd said that is indeed the case.
He said he has been "inundated with queries" over the last few weeks about the issue.
He said: “There are actually 900 people that the HSE is aware of in the cohort between 60-69 who haven’t been vaccinated… in Louth.
"They should all have their appointments and be vaccinated, I’ve been told, by this weekend."
He apologised to Mary and anyone else impacted, saying he now believes the HSE is acting to respond to the delays.
The Fine Gael TD also had an update for anyone aged 50-59 in Louth and Meath who is still waiting for a vaccine.
He said people in that age cohort should get an appointment for the one-dose Janssen / Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the end of the day on Tuesday.
However, he noted they may need to travel to the Helix in Dublin to receive their vaccine due to capacity issues in local centres.
