Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The issue I want to raise relates to the flu vaccine, particularly in the context of its availability to GPs and pharmacies throughout the country. I am sure all Deputies have been contacted about this matter. I have been talking to my local pharmacist in Tramore and he stated that he is fully up to date in terms of his returns for the vaccine. He has a waiting list of 200 people. He has already identified those he wants to prioritise in terms of underlying health conditions but he is in a position where he cannot order any additional vaccine. As far as he is concerned, this is the first time in his career that he has been unable to make an order to have vaccine in stock in his pharmacy.

There are a number of issues which arise. The first of these relates to the release of the final 50,000 doses of the flu vaccine. I understand that 1.35 million doses were ordered this year. There is the unresolved issue of 600,000 doses, the returns of which may not have been kept up to date. In the context of the latter, it must be acknowledged that pharmacists and GPs are extremely busy. We should not leave them shoulder any of the blame for perhaps not submitting the administrative work in time in order to release the additional 50,000 doses. Those final 50,000 doses have to be released as a matter of urgency.

There is also the issue of making more doses available. Having Covid and the flu at the same time is health threatening. Is there availability within the international market for us to get our hands on additional doses so that we can facilitate the release of the 50,000 doses that are still in the country and deal with the increased demand for the flu vaccine this year?

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