Ms Averil Power:

NPHET has got a lot of criticism during the pandemic. From our point of view, we think our public health doctors have shown immense leadership and we are very grateful because people with cancer are one of the groups most vulnerable to the virus. We are very grateful for the leadership we have seen in calling for the strongest possible public health measures to protect people with cancer. I would also remind people that while the vaccination programme is proceeding at pace for the different age groups, there are many people in cohort 7 who have still not been vaccinated. As people start to relax and maybe assume that everybody who is vulnerable is protected, that is not yet the case for cohort 7. It is very important that we all keep up our vigilance in regard to protecting ourselves from the virus and protecting those at greatest risk.