Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 9 March 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Covid-19 Public Health Measures: Update from Health Service Executive

Mr. Paul Reid:

I thank the Deputy. I would like to stand back for a second and come to the question. Overall, the prioritisation and the sequencing in the vaccination programme have gone really well. There have been exceptions and some were reported in the first few weeks. It is very frustrating for us, and me, when exceptions happen and somebody is vaccinated out of sequence because it causes a lot of angst. I do not support any occasion where such things happen. We do have flexibility in the system, and we have given guidance through the chief clinical officer where vaccination programmes are being carried out. These are very precious vaccines, particularly the mRNA vaccines, with regard to logistics, supply and being utilised within the time limit. We have provided flexibility within the system to have a back-up list in case there are extra doses in vials to ensure not one dose is wasted. There are some legitimate reasons where people have gone through the process and other people have been vaccinated, who would eventually come forward in cohort prioritisation. It is also frustrating for us where it happens out of sequence.

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