Fingers crossed the vaccine works.
Bit misleading. As has been explained on here before, the EU cannot block any member state from approving for use any drug it wants. What it can insist on is that the drug has been through an approval process, either at EU level (the European Medicines Agency) or at national level. As indeed should the people taking the drugs. Now, I don’t know if Ireland has its own drugs regulatory system or whether it leaves it to the EU. If it doesn’t you will depend on the EMA. The EMA does seem to be slow (or perhaps thorough is a better word), but the Oxford/AZ vaccine was only submitted to them for approval last week by AZ, and they expect a decision by 29 January. I suppose Ireland could say ‘we’ll just do whatever the UK does’ but that might be a bit tricky politically in several ways.