Results 33,241-33,260 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (29 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The question now, and what the Cabinet committee on Covid-19 will discuss later today, is how we protect the hard-earned progress and having one of the lowest rates. We are surrounded by countries that are seeing a huge surge in cases because they now are experiencing the B117 variant, as we did in December, and they are struggling. From a health perspective, for me, the Department of...

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (29 Mar 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, the Senator did. I would prefer to get the Senator a written response because he asked a very reasonable and very important question about what is legal and what is advisory. I want to ensure he gets a precise answer to that question. I will ensure that the Department reverts to him with exactly that. I acknowledge that for many people not being able to attend Mass in person -...

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

Stephen Donnelly: If I may, I will use the time left to me to address some of the issues raised by Deputy Connolly.

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

Stephen Donnelly: I might revert to the Deputy in writing on those issues. Is he still in the Chamber?

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

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. It is something that was part of the original plan. I prefer not to speculate on issues like that when there is a lot of thinking going at the moment in terms of what happens after 5 April. However, I take the Deputy's points very much on board. Regarding the distribution of vaccines to GPs, I hope Deputy Connolly will not mind me referring to the GPs who have said...

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

Stephen Donnelly: In response to Deputy McAuliffe, the news about the walk-in test centres is good. I echo the Deputy's message, which is for people living within 5 km of these centres to turn up and get PCR tests. It is only one measure. There is no silver bullet but it is an extra measure to target and find this virus. It is to support people, communities and geographic areas where people need this...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I cannot fully give the questions the time they deserve and need but the prioritisation is being done by very careful examination by the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, of the risk of severe illness, hospitalisation or death for those with underlying conditions. On CF, for example, Professor Butler said many people had expected a much greater link but that the good news from...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Acting Chairman. I thank the Deputy for his questions. With regard to the people arriving into the country from category 2 countries who have been vaccinated or who may have had Covid-19 in the past, the answer is "Yes". They will be subject to mandatory hotel quarantining. Everyone coming in has to have a negative PCR test, for example. They, too, will be subject to...

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

Stephen Donnelly: Both of the Deputies asked about the rapid testing so I will answer that first. I believe there is a role for rapid testing but there are differently held views among experts on both sides of this. Some believe there is a very limited role for rapid testing, while others believe there is a very broad and useful role for it. I am in favour of rapid testing. There are risks, such as people...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that I have not got the detail on the specific case she mentioned, so I cannot respond to that. The safety of students and staff in our schools is of paramount importance. If the Deputy has a case that she is concerned about, then she must please come to me with that and we will have it looked into. If there are learnings to be had, and there are always...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for her questions and assure her that there are very strict protocols in place regarding spare vaccines such that the clinicians overbook to guard against exactly what the Deputy raised. We must use every single vaccine dose. The GPs, hospital teams or ambulance teams move down through the priority list. If GPs are vaccinating their 75 to 79 year old patients this week,...

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

Stephen Donnelly: Our priority is to maximise the availability of safe and effective vaccines for people in Ireland. I am sure the Deputy will agree that we should continue to look to the EMA as the regulator. The vaccines we use here must be deemed safe and effective, to the very highest standards, by the European regulator, as is the case with four vaccines. I can confirm that exactly the same approval...

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

Stephen Donnelly: What we are seeing at the moment is, without a doubt, the most successful global collaboration between governments, pharmaceutical producers, science and medicine that the world has ever seen. For the Deputy to suggest that this is a failure is, quite frankly, preposterous. There is a very important discussion to be had, and policies to be developed, on global justice fairness and Ireland...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Deputy Bruton for his questions. I share his view that as the vaccines take effect, the risk profile is fundamentally changing. As the risk profile changes, our analysis and evaluation of what is possible must change too. In fact, I am in the middle of a very detailed conversation with the modelling group, led by Professor Nolan, on exactly this issue. We know, for example, that...

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...

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...