Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies. It is a crucially important issue and I am glad to see people talking positively about vaccines because there are, quite frankly, a lot of cranks out there on the Internet who are just rubbishing anything at all to do with vaccines without looking at the science and indeed, in the case of the Covid vaccine, without waiting for the clinical trials to be completed, which has not happened yet.

Both Deputies raised the issue of ordering more flu vaccine. The Minister asked me to advise Members that vaccines are ordered well in advance. This year the HSE placed its order in February. The HSE order for 2020-21 season was 20% greater than it that for the previous year and 35% greater than the uptake for winter 2019-20. These figures do not include the additional 600,000 doses for children, which would bring the additional number of doses of vaccine available this year to almost 75%. The numbers we are getting vaccinated are thus unprecedented. However, given the demand on the international market for the influenza vaccine, the Minister feels it is not realistically possible to procure more doses at this point. Steps are being taken at the moment by the HSE to ensure vaccinations are delivered to those most in need and where they will have the greatest impact, in light of the international market conditions and of the fact we have unprecedented numbers getting the vaccine. The full amount, up to 1.35 million, will have gone out by the end of this month.

On the two to 12 years of age category, the programme is ongoing and I use this opportunity really to encourage parents who have not yet done so to contact their GP or pharmacist to arrange a vaccination. The last thing parents want is a child who could have been vaccinated against flu coming home with flu-like symptoms and the whole family having to isolate for a couple of weeks as a precaution. The vaccination is there, it is available and children under 12 years should get it. I again thank the Deputies for raising the issue.

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