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

The strategy and sequencing of who gets the vaccine first is a live document. Some of it will depend on the availability, manufacturing and volumes of vaccines that will come into the country at particular stages. As I said yesterday morning, January and February will see limited supplies, relatively speaking, although I hope we should have enough to get all our nursing home residents and staff vaccinated.

I said last week that the national immunisation advisory committee was involved in this decision and it is a body with long-standing experience in immunisation matters with the HSE and the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET. As far as possible, we should allow the public health specialists to determine the sequencing. It is based really on the vaccine being particularly effective in preventing ill health from the virus and reducing symptoms. That seems to be its stronger quality. Again, the experts would take questions from the Deputy and others on this.

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