Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ireland’s vaccination programme is designed to protect the most vulnerable in society, beginning with older residents of long-term care facilities and front-line workers, before rolling out to the wider community. We are continuing to prioritise those who are most vulnerable to Covid-19 infection, and front-line healthcare workers who care for them come first in the priority list for vaccination.

Some long-term residential care facilities have experienced significant outbreaks over the course of the pandemic, leading to loss of life. As a result, residents over the age of 65 were given the highest priority in the vaccine allocation strategy. The overwhelming majority of first doses in long-term care facilities are expected to have been completed by the end of this week. Roll-out of the second vaccine dose to the majority of residents and staff in nursing homes is progressing. These are the residents of nursing homes who were unable to receive the vaccine initially due to the fact that there were major outbreaks of Covid in their nursing homes or due to the fact that they were recovering from Covid.

On 15 February, we began the process of vaccinating the approximately 482,000 people over the age of 70 in Ireland, beginning with those aged 85 and older. I am pleased to inform the Dáil that we have been able vaccinate the overwhelming majority of those aged 85 and older by the end of last week. I wish to reiterate my thanks to the GPs, their staff and representative bodies for their ongoing efforts, which have facilitated the expansion of our programme into the community.

There is a direct correlation between a person’s age and his or her risk of developing severe disease and potential death due to Covid. Some 88% of all deaths over the course of the pandemic have occurred in those aged 70 and older. The vast majority of GPs have been vaccinating their patients in the over-85 age group without any issue. The national vaccination programme is not adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. I wish to reiterate that no one will be left behind and that solutions will be found for all who wish to receive a vaccination. A variety of solutions are being put in place to vaccinate those aged 85 and older who have not already received their first dose. This week will see the programme begin the process of delivering vaccines to those who are housebound. Vaccination will also be provided to people who are currently hospitalised on an ongoing basis. Some 65 smaller GP practices, with a combined total of approximately 800 patients, will receive delivery of the vaccine this week. The vaccination programme continues to progress and those aged between 80 and 84 have now begun to receive vaccinations.

The majority of residents of long-term residential mental healthcare units over the age of 65 have now received a vaccination. Most of the eligible staff at these facilities have also received at least one dose. The process of administering second doses to service users and staff has already begun. The remaining sites will be covered as the roll-out progresses. I am pleased to inform the Dáil that Covid cases in residential mental healthcare settings are continuing to fall, with 30 cases reported this week. The majority of cases that are being reported in these settings relate to staff rather than residents. The pandemic has been a profoundly difficult period for so many in society. The continued operation of mental health services has been of paramount importance during this immensely unsettling time.

This will be the largest vaccination programme in the history of the State. Huge progress has been made in a relatively short period of time. The immediate priority of the programme is to protect the most vulnerable among us and our front-line healthcare workers, who have been front and centre in the fight against Covid. Truly remarkable progress has already been made with regards to protecting our older citizens. The vaccination programme is less than three months in operation and we are vaccinating people as quickly as possible. Vaccine supply remains the only limiting factor. I wish to thank all of those involved for their hard work which has brought us to this point, and which will, in time, result in the reopening of our country and the full resumption of our lives.

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