Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I compliment the Regional Group for tabling the motion. Many people are suffering from long Covid and they have a diagnosis after great cost to themselves and great energy spent, even though they have very little energy to try to get a diagnosis. It seems a blanket has been put over Covid and we cannot discuss it or debate it. One narrative has had to apply all of the time. People are very ill. More them are like young Roy Butler in Waterford who lost his life after the vaccine. Will the Minister of State meet his family? They were in touch with me quite recently. They are desperately trying to get information from the vaccine companies. I remember one day the Taoiseach came in here with all guns blazing and gave carte blancheindemnity to the vaccine companies. Now we cannot find the wherewithal to support people who have long Covid. Many of them are nurses, doctors and front-line workers in many areas. They battled and we stood up here and clapped for them. Some of them are still waiting for the €1,000. It is shocking that they are still waiting for the €1,000 payment they were supposed to get. This has all been a very sly game. We saw that one of the heads of Pfizer recently admitted the vaccine was not tested on how effective it would be against the spread of Covid. There are a lot of answers needed. We need to look after people who have long Covid and who are vaccine injured. This will go on for a long time. Meanwhile big pharma is riding off into the sunset with billions of profits and the Irish taxpayers are patsies once more thanks to the new globalists and the Taoiseach. He came in here and everybody supported him. Why should we indemnify those companies if they are so safe? They had no trials done. They fobbed us off all the way. Now people are ill and injured and suffering long Covid. They must be looked after. Why are 100,000 people on trolleys on a weekly basis? Why are twice as many children in Crumlin today as this time last year? Ask the questions. The answers are quite obvious if we open the eyes and see.

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