Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for sharing time and for his statement. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the roll-out of our Covid-19 vaccination programme. I thank the Minister and his ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health for all their efforts during this global pandemic. Equally, I acknowledge the tragic deaths of 3,120 people during this pandemic. Once again, I offer my deep condolences to all those who have lost loved ones during this pandemic. Like everyone in Ireland, I am extremely grateful for the efforts of our front-line healthcare staff who have worked tirelessly and diligently to keep people safe over the past year. Just yesterday, we saw 1,335 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed, 437 of which were here in Dublin. While this represents a considerable reduction on the peak of more than 8,000 cases three weeks ago, it is still very challenging and worrying for society as a whole. Almost 1,670 people are currently in hospital, with the HSE reporting that 217 are in ICU. While our seven-day average of cases has fallen from a high of 1,322 to 249 per 100,000 people it is clear that Covid-19 continues to pose a serious danger and threat to people. Sadly, more people will die but the public health message is very clear and straightforward: stay home and stay safe.

There is light at the end of the tunnel and, as we heard from the Minister, there is hope. The vaccine programme is being rolled out widely.

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