Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of our guests for the work they have done and continue to do. I also thank all of our front-line staff throughout the country, be they in GP practices or in hospitals or public health nurses.

I would like to touch on one or two issues. The first issue is the people who have a particular illness, which has been touched on already by Deputy Hourigan. I refer in particular to people who are on dialysis. Yesterday, I met a parent whose son is 33 years old and has lung cancer for which he is receiving chemotherapy. People in receipt of such treatments and those on dialysis, for which they are required regularly to attend hospitals, are very concerned about their access to the vaccines. Are there plans to co-ordinate with the hospitals in regard to vaccination for people who are at-risk patients? Many of these people are not necessarily attending their GP and as such their vaccination will need to be co-ordinated through the hospitals.

My second question is in regard to Johnson & Johnson and the roll-out of its vaccine, if approved. The advantage of this vaccine is that is given in one dose rather than two. Its approval and availability would greatly fast-track the vaccination programme, but I understand the earliest it will be available is some time in May. How many people could benefit if that vaccine were made available and in what timescale, on the basis that it is a one dose vaccination?