RTÉ’s education correspondent has this piece on Fórsa’s upcoming decision whether or not to back Government plans to reopen primary schools and special schools to children with significant additional needs. The INTO has called on the Department of Education to reconsider their plan to resume in-school special education. 

There is growing anger and confusion over the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine after it emerged the family of a second hospital's staff and construction workers at a Kerry hospital received the vaccine ahead of frontline workers. This marks the third such incidence this week. Meanwhile, SIPTU has called for ambulance crews to be prioritised for excess Covid-19 vaccines.

Cabinet will later be asked to approve an agreement with doctors and pharmacists to administer Covid-19 vaccines. The agreement would see a payment of €60 for each patient vaccinated made to members of the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish Pharmacy Union, and would cover two injections for each member of the public vaccinated.

Elsewhere, the head of the World Health Organization has said the world was on the brink of a "catastrophic moral failure" on distributing vaccines, urging countries and manufacturers to share Covid-19 doses more fairly around the world.

The Times has this piece on how Covid is deepening inequality in education. 

In aviation, Dublin Airport has lost connections to 115 cities across the globe due to the Coronavirus. Currently the airport has scheduled flights to just 85 cities, compared to 200 before the pandemic hit.

Minister Simon Harris has said that the decision to appoint Robert Watt as the interim secretary-general at the Department of Health was not subject to a Cabinet memorandum or decision. Controversy has arisen around the proposed appointment of a new secretary-general in Health on a salary of €292,000 with the Public Accounts Committee now investigating the matter.

RTÉ has this analysis on the National Remote Working Strategy.

Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland has said that it could be a decade before the housing demands of the population are met.

And finally, Gardaí are to train park rangers in investigation techniques as part of an effort to clampdown on wildlife crime in the State through the creation of a dedicated unit in the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Our zen this morning is a tale of postman cat Billy, who forged a friendship between his (at last count) two families.

Have a good day folks.