There have been calls for a dedicated vaccination minister to oversee the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

It comes after a number of politicians were reported to have influenced who should get the vaccine first.

Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill claims to have secured 40 vaccines for Nenagh Hospital after staff complained that they had been overlooked, while Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien said he had helped ensure remaining vaccinations for Dublin Fire Brigade were undertaken.

When asked by the Irish Daily Mail if it was appropriate for politicians to interfere in the rollout, Cahill said: "That's the nature of politics, the squeaky hinge gets the most oil."

Labour Party leader Alan Kelly and Professor Sam McConkey, Infectious Disease Specialist at RCSI University of
Medicine and Health Sciences, joined us to discuss this issue.