Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also thank the front-line workers who have been working day in, day out on the roll-out of the vaccine. I understand that the roll-out process is very difficult but I would like to refer to an email I got from a member of the Garda.

She and her partner are members of An Garda Síochána who live in my constituency and they have worked consistently throughout the pandemic in a support role on the front lines. They have two children and her mother was looking after the childcare. Unfortunately, they have not seen her since last March because of the role they are in as they do not want to put her mother into any difficulty. They have dealt, like all gardaí have, with protests, arrests and prisoners who they know have Covid-19. I know this has been raised time and again but it is important. Others on the front line have got the vaccine and then the system was changed. Yet, gardaí and other front-line workers such as prison officers do not even have a date because of the changes in the processes of the roll-out of the vaccine. If extra vaccines unexpectedly come into the State, could prison officers, gardaí and other front-line workers be vaccinated in a separate process to allow them to be safe?

The vaccine register for those aged 65 to 69 was launched last week. Can the Minister confirm how many in that cohort have registered since last Thursday and how many people have had an appointment confirmed? I am aware of many people in my constituency who have registered using the HSE’s online service last week but who have yet to receive an appointment.

Could the Minister comment on the concerns that there may be a need for a third vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine and would it be the same with the AstraZeneca vaccine? Is there a plan in place to test people who have been vaccinated to ascertain if they are carriers of the virus without showing symptoms but with the potential to spread the virus? That is important, particularly as we are talking about mandatory hotel quarantine and how we can open up safely.

The Minister mentioned earlier that this will be with us for at least a couple of years and probably forever. We are really concerned about the impact this will have on the budget. Are there implications for the roll-out of Sláintecare or other services that have been pencilled in for extra supports? Is there a plan to increase this in the next budget and to cover it as a separate entity, outside of the budget that is already in place for the HSE?

I ask the Minister to allow for GPs to prioritise family carers who are in need of vaccines. GPs know their patients in the community and are well placed to spot families that are struggling. I find it wrong that in the present vaccine roll-out process I could potentially get a vaccine before somebody like a carer, a garda or a prison officer. That is wrong and that needs to be changed.

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