Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Throughout the course of Ireland’s vaccination programme, we have sought to ensure the administration of vaccines is conducted in a manner that is fair and has due regard to the protection of the most vulnerable in our society. I am pleased to note, in that regard, the significant positive impact the programme has had in long term care facilities, including nursing homes. The positivity rate for the current cycle of serial testing in nursing homes is down to 0.11%.

The vaccination programme has now been extended to people aged 65 to 69 and the vaccine portal opens for everyone aged 60 to 64 tomorrow morning. The HSE is asking people aged 64 to register first on Friday and the process will then work down through those aged 63 to 60. More information can be found at vaccine.hse.ie. As of 17 April, more than 95,000 individuals who are at very high risk of being negatively affected by the symptoms of Covid-19 have received their first vaccination dose. There are 25 mass vaccination centres fully operational as of today, vaccinating people between 60 and 69, including the Waterford Institute of Technology arena, Carlow Institute of Technology and Cillín Hill conference centre at Kilkenny. Vaccination of those over 70 has already been administered in many of these centres.

These are positive steps. Over time, we will see further positive measures being put in place and further resources being assigned to ensure the vaccination of every individual who wishes to receive the vaccine. I acknowledge, with huge thanks, the hard work of the HSE, its vaccinator teams, general practitioners and others that have contributed their time and effort to achieving this level of progress.

I will now refer to housebound vaccinations as there have been many questions asked about this in recent weeks. To date, in excess of 3,500 referrals have been received as part of the housebound vaccine programme. Due to the complexity of the triage process, which involves follow-up with both referring GP, individuals to be vaccinated and their family, a number of additional referrals are awaiting triage, and as such this figure is likely to increase further. So far, as part of this programme the HSE has offered more than 1,800 appointments to people referred by their GP. Appointments may not be completed for a range of reasons, including refusal or a person entering long-term care or being unwell. The National Ambulance Service continues to follow up on these appointments.

The ambulance service is currently operating a seven-day service which deploys more than ten vehicles each day to undertake between 50 and 60 appointments, with around 400 appointments each week. The length of time it is taking to complete the project is driven by the complexities involved in triaging referrals, logistics of vaccine delivery and the requirement for more than 30 to 40 minutes at each residence. In around 10% of cases, visits can take up to 50 minutes due to medical histories, which require a 30-minute observation period. As individuals to be vaccinated are dispersed throughout the country, it can also take ambulance staff a considerable amount of time per visit to reach their destinations. The completion of first doses as part of this programme is expected in May 2021 while the second dose is expected to conclude in June 2021. To provide assurance to the individuals and their families who still await vaccination under the programme, the HSE will make direct contact with them over the coming days, starting today.

The initial number in this cohort was 3,200 but much work has been done and more people have come into the scheme. An ambulance may travel around County Waterford with 30 minutes or 40 minutes between each call. There may also be 30 minutes or 40 minutes spent with the person receiving the vaccination. It is taking quite a lot of time. We must remember these people are very vulnerable and older. I thank the ambulance for the work it is doing. It is very important for the HSE to make direct contact with everybody who has not been vaccinated to date as people are worried.

As of 20 April, in excess of 645,000 vaccines have been administered by GPs to those over 70 and we are on target to deliver approximately 692,000 vaccines by this weekend. The Helix was in operation last weekend with approximately 2,700 second doses administered to people aged between 75 and 79. The focus this week has largely been on completing the first dose vaccination of those in the 70 to 74 age cohort, on continuing the second dose of the 75 to 79 age cohort, and largely completing the second dose vaccination of the 80 to 84 age cohort. The vaccination hubs in Cork and Galway will be in operation on 24 April, with more than 1,500 patients expected to receive the second dose. It is expected that more than 757,000 vaccinations for people over 70 will be completed by the end of next week's cycle.

The focus next week will be on completing first dose vaccination of the 70 to 74 age cohort and on largely finishing second dose vaccination of the 75 to 79 age cohort. A dedicated GP team is fully operational, supporting distribution and allocation, linking with GPs and their practice staff to resolve quickly snags and issues that arise.

The vaccination programme's primary aim has always been to protect the most vulnerable among us. Tremendous progress has been made in this regard and this is clearly reflected in the levels of Covid-19 present in vaccinated groups. Levels of disease in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, mental health settings and among older citizens, continue to substantially decline. This has been an incredibly traumatic year for so many, but we are now starting to see the benefits of the vaccination programme. As supply increases over the coming months, more individuals will be offered vaccination as we place those most vulnerable to Covid-19 at the forefront. Ultimately, everyone who wants to receive a vaccine and for whom it is deemed clinically safe will be offered the protection it affords. This pandemic will not end until everyone is protected, but as we progress from spring to summer, there are much brighter days ahead.

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