Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will certainly look into it. The guidance, in terms of the sequencing and the prioritisation, will always be informed by the national immunisation committee, the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, and the public health expertise. It is important that we all collectively adhere to that because I do not see how it can be managed otherwise.

Various sectors and groups will come forward saying that they want to be considered in advance. In terms of getting the vaccination, the priority has to be those, first of all, most at risk of serious illness or death because the vaccine is particularly effective in preventing illness and severe symptoms as a result of getting the virus. On the prioritisation, it is nursing homes, in the first instance, and the staff, and then health care settings after that.

That is a working document in the sense that, obviously, as more vaccines become available, more options become available because different vaccines have different requirements in terms of administering. For example, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is particularly onerous in terms of the measures that have to be taken to safely administer that, and who administers it, etc.

I will have the blueprint by Friday and go to Government next Tuesday, and I will look into the point that the Deputy has raised.

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