The first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have arrived in Northern Ireland.
Nearly 25,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Belfast on Friday morning.
It is hoped it will be the first of several vaccine deliveries this month.
Health Minister Robin Swann said confirmation of which groups will get the Covid-19 vaccine first is expected next week.
Mr Swann said there was “a long journey ahead of us, but we can be optimistic.
“Vaccinators will be the first to receive the vaccine, followed swiftly by priority groups.
“We are being guided on prioritisation by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. It has identified care home residents and staff and health and social care workers as priority groups.”
Distribution of the vaccine would be “a massive logistical challenge“, particularly in terms of rolling it out in care homes, added the health minister.
Six further coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded in Northern Ireland, bringing the Department of Health’s recorded total to 1,032.
A further 449 people have tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours.
There have been 54,177 positive cases of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the pandemic started.
