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

On COVAX and what Dr. Mike Ryan has said more generally, Ireland and indeed the European Union is the strongest contributor to COVAX and, as we know, given the EU’s strong manufacturing capacity with manufacturing sites across Europe, it is one of the biggest contributors globally to the distribution of vaccines which are paid for by other countries but are manufactured within the European Union geographically. Funding and policy-wise Europe is contributing hugely to COVAX because no one is safe until we are all safe.

We take our advice on vaccination policy from the national immunisation advisory committee and from NPHET. Notwithstanding people having antibodies I support that advice and I do not think that the evidence is strong enough not to vaccinate those who currently have antibodies. For example, the level of antibodies could differ where some could have a higher level of antibodies than others. The advice is to vaccinate.

Again, as has been outlined earlier, we want everybody over 70 to be vaccinated, so we are still predominantly dealing with those more senior in society in age terms, and for them to have a first dose by mid-April. Those with underlying conditions of all ages should be vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can. The HSE is operationally going through that fourth cohort, which is challenging in itself in identifying individuals via GPs, consultants and so forth.

On compulsory vaccination, there is no mandatory compulsion on people to vaccinate in the country. Within the health service I would argue that there are particular obligations in terms of collective solidarity and preventing the spread of the disease. We know from the last wave that the numbers of healthcare workers who got Covid-19 was very challenging, for example, in respect of the number of staff members working in nursing homes. Thankfully, with the vaccines the impact has been dramatic. The serial testing in nursing homes is indicating 0.3% which is very low. This is a very good vindication of the vaccines and their impact on reduced infection as well as reducing severely the incidence of mortality and this has likewise been the case in the hospital setting. For the overall good, we have to do everything we possibly can to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and to protect people within the hospital setting and the health setting more generally.

I fully respect religious worship and the right for people to attend services and the extent to which this is impacting on them but Covid-19 is the enemy here, not the Government.

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