Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Booster vaccines for those aged over 60 will now be given with immediate effect. We welcome and support that initiative. Will the over-60s have to wait six months, given that there is a minimum interval of five months between shots? Will that not mean that many will not get their booster shot until early next year? The Taoiseach said that the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, provided advice to him and the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, that it will keep the administration of vaccine boosters to healthcare workers under examination and review. Our front-line healthcare workers were some of the first vaccinated and are those most at risk of being exposed to Covid at work. Modelling shows that we could have up to 1,000 patients with Covid in hospital in November and there could be up to 200 people in ICU. Is now not the right time to roll out the booster shots quickly to our front-line workers? It would protect those who will be most exposed and who will need to be available to work to ensure that our hospitals are not understaffed. Would the Government not agree to give the booster to front-line healthcare workers now?

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