Ireland has completed a deal to secure 700,000 COVID-19 vaccines from Romania.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has described it as 'fantastic news' and a welcome boost to the vaccine rollout programme.
The deal to purchase the extra Pfizer/BioNtech doses has cleared the EU process, he says.
Announcing the additional supply, Mr Martin says: "This is a welcome boost to our ongoing and very effective national vaccination programme.
"As deliveries arrive this month, they will be used to meet the continued high uptake of our COVID vaccines.
"These new Pfizer vaccines will ensure supply as we continue the next phases of the rollout over the summer and autumn months.
"I want to thank Romania and the EU for their assistance and show of solidarity to Ireland as we further protect our citizens in this pandemic."
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says the extra vaccines will be delivered throughout the month of August.
He also says they will allow the Government to continue to ramp up the rollout.
Great news that we have secured an additional 700,000 vaccines from the EU through Romania. These will be delivered throughout August and will allow us to continue to ramp up the rollout of the vaccination programme. Well done to @roinnslainte officials on finalising the deal. https://t.co/qjA0XktpiO
— Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) August 3, 2021
Last month, it was revealed that Ireland was to buy one million vaccines from the fellow EU state.
An agreement was reached in principle between An Taoiseach and the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
It comes as the sixth million vaccine is to be administered here this week, while the vaccine programme will extend to 12 to 15-year-olds over the next few weeks.
While Ireland is on course to have the highest take up of COVID-19 vaccines among young people, according to Luke O'Neill.
He was speaking after figures suggest more than 30,000 people received a jab at walk-in vaccination centres over the long weekend - predominantly younger people.
Prof O'Neill earlier told The Pat Kenny Show: "I haven't stopped smiling, that's amazing. I think we can be very proud of the young people, to be honest.
"They want their lives back, that's the bottom line, and they also want to help their community.
"They're the two reasons, it's fantastic.
"We may turn out to be the best in the world in that age group, it looks like, based on those numbers.
"If those numbers continue, Ireland will have the highest vaccination rate in those younger people - wouldn't that be a great thing to claim?"
