Results 16,501-16,520 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: We want all of the deliveries from AstraZeneca as were originally committed. As we are all aware, there are very intensive discussions going on at an EU level with the European Council and the Commission. As of right now, AstraZeneca has not committed to the European Commission that it will fulfil its original obligations. Obviously, we are not happy with this and the Commission is not...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: To clarify, we will receive 1 million doses per month. Over the second quarter it would be approximately 3 million doses rather than 1 million, which is very positive. The answer to the Deputy's question is "Yes" and it is exactly the question I have been putting to the HSE repeatedly. We are expecting a very high volume of vaccines to come in in the next number of days. We are not...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Are we out of time?

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I can revert to the Deputy on the other matters he raised.

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I am more than happy to get the Deputy a note on that. What I can tell him is that by the end of March, which is in the next five days, we expect to have received in excess of 1.1 million doses. However, I must heavily caveat that statement because the delivery schedules move regularly. The Deputy and I have had this conversation a few times. A large number of vaccines due to come in on...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As to the Deputy's first point, we do have detailed numbers for every single day for each company. I will ask for a note to be provided but I just wanted to caveat it by saying the provision of that kind of information has caused real anxiety for the public. We obviously know what is expected to the day but these dates get moved around at very short notice. With regard to the number of...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for that question. I have seen some of the same coverage and I was concerned at some of the things that I was hearing. I have chased much of it up with the HSE and much of what I heard turned out not to be the case. For example, not only can medical students be in our vaccination team, they already are. I met medical students in the Helix who were vaccinating. The...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy and I will revert to him in writing because we will run out of time. I fully share his position on this because we must get the most vaccines possible. By working through the European Commission we have been able to pre-purchase 18.5 million vaccines, which is very positive. However, I am very frustrated with AstraZeneca and particularly frustrated with the fact that it...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for the various questions. On the recruitment of vaccinators, absolutely I will look into it. A lot of progress has been made. In excess of 10,000 vaccinators have been recruited and this is a lot of people. Rest assured, if there is duplication and too much complexity, I will take it up with the HSE immediately because this process has to be as easy and seamless as...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I will take it up with the team straight away because the Deputy should be getting the briefings. I directed that there should be daily Oireachtas briefings and the Deputy should be getting them. There is daily information on vaccines. I know the Deputy is speaking about supply and doses administered. What we have so far online on the data hub and on the tracker app is that the numbers...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I appreciate the Deputy is also looking for information on deliveries. It is something I will certainly take up. What is most important for the Irish people is knowing just how many are being taken. I take the Deputy's point and we have discussed it here previously. I apologise if I run out of time in answering the Deputy's questions, and if I do, I will revert to her. With regard to...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Right now, what we can say is we expect in excess of 1.1 million vaccines to be delivered.

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: May I add a quick caveat?

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I will revert to the Deputy.

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. Certainly NIAC undertook a rigorous assessment but no one has a monopoly on wisdom on these issues. If the Deputy would like to send me the technical information he has, I will, of course, make sure it is reviewed by the public health team and NIAC. If there are omissions, we should not be afraid of them and we should correct them if it turns out to be the case.

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for his questions. I have set up a helpline, if we want to call it that, for Members of the Oireachtas and the Deputy should have those details. If there are individual issues on an ongoing or daily basis, I ask the Deputy to use this service. The feedback we have got on it is very good and we want it to be as transparent and open as possible. With regard to the NIAC...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: How much time have I to respond?

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Thank you. The first question is an excellent one, namely, when can we tell everybody, broadly speaking, when they should be in line to receive the vaccinations. There are two pieces to this. First, there is a piece of work which we are finalising at the moment, which is about the cohorts and what the cohorts will be after the cohorts that have been agreed to date. Once we have that, we...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: It is in excess of 10,000 and it may now be in excess of 11,000. I will get the Deputy an exact number.

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (Health): Statements (25 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. There is a really interesting discussion that we are beginning to have around vaccine certificates or, as the Deputy said, not necessarily just that but it could also be negative PCR tests. We have seen very interesting pilots in Israel, for example, with open-air concerts available to people who can authenticate that they have been vaccinated. I know the Deputy will be...