Dáil debates

Thursday, 27 May 2021

Covid-19 Vaccine Roll-out: Statements

 

9:55 am

Photo of Marc Ó CathasaighMarc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will have to make myself more evident to Deputy O'Connor in future. I praise the success of the vaccine roll-out. The figure of 50% by the end of the week is very exciting. There were people who said that the Irish system was not going to be able to roll it out in this time. It is right to praise everybody working within that system, including Department officials, HSE staff, GPs, doctors and vaccination centre staff.

That is an exciting number. A total of 300,000 vaccines going into people's arms last week is fantastic news.

I wish to address two specific issues. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, will be familiar with one of them, particularly as it relates to west Waterford. People in Tallow and Ballyduff are being referred to a vaccination centre in Killarney. I believe this has to do with the postcode system. There is an irony in people being made to travel across two counties in view of the fact that we only just recently removed the restriction on inter-county travel. The second issue relates to Ferrybank, which is in Kilkenny but which is within 5 km of the vaccination centre at the Waterford Institute of Technology Arena. There is an irony, as well, in people having to travel that far to be vaccinated.

On a more general point, there is inconsistency with the speed of roll-out in the context of GP services. Many of the larger practices get access the vaccines first. It is great that people are getting the vaccines, but it creates a bit of ill feeling when people feel somebody is getting ahead of them in the queue.

On global vaccine equity, I do not agree with the Minister that Gavi and COVAX, as currently formulated, go far enough. I do not think a trade-related intellectual property rights, TRIPS, waiver is necessarily a silver bullet but we need to be part of a conversation about intellectual property and accelerating vaccine roll-out in the global south. I do not accept the 20% figure for global vaccinations. I do not think it will work for anybody. I will leave it at that to allow time for answers.

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