Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The mood of the nation is understandably low. We have all been living under a dark cloud for a year now, we have all been bombarded with negativity everywhere we turn, and we have all had our fill of doom and gloom. What we need now is hope, and that hope comes in the form of a vaccine. The vaccine roll-out programme cannot happen quickly enough. We all feel that way. However, it is also important to acknowledge the progress that has been made. Many of us know front-line healthcare workers who are now fully vaccinated, and gradually, our older family members, friends and neighbours are also receiving their vaccinations. The best bit of all is the proof coming from our nursing homes and healthcare workers that the vaccine works.

Citywest has played central role in our response to the pandemic since day one. It has been a mass testing centre, a self-isolation centre, and a storage centre for the first vaccines. Soon, it will play a key role in the mass vaccination of our general population. I ask the Minister the consider opening a section of the Citywest vaccination centre now, ahead of schedule, so it can service the over-70s in west Dublin, south-west Dublin and south Dublin. This would mean those who have been isolating in their homes for almost a year would not have to travel to the far side of the capital city for their vaccine. It is a quick fix and an easy solution to an issue that is really upsetting older people in areas like Saggart, Rathcoole, Newcastle and Clondalkin, where they are being told to drive past Citywest and travel almost 30 km to the Helix for their vaccination.

Hope is something our most vulnerable and their carers need the most. While I welcome last week's revised vaccination allocation list, there are still many vulnerable people who have not yet been prioritised. Those on immunosuppressants and people with stable cystic fibrosis - a brand new term - have not been prioritised. There are many vulnerable people for whom the slightest illness can set them back severely in life. It does not bear thinking about the threat Covid-19 could pose to these people. If a person's condition is such that for the past year he or she has been afraid to leave their front door, that person must be considered for cohort 4.

See this speech in context