Results 35,021-35,040 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disease Management (17 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: AWAITING REPLY

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (17 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Screening Programmes (17 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Government has accepted all 50 recommendations made in Dr Scally’s Scoping Inquiry into the CervicalCheck Programme, which was published on 12 September 2018. An implementation plan for all recommendations was published on 11 December 2018 on the website of the Department of Health. The Implementation Plan was revised to take account of the formal observations submitted by Dr...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Screening Programmes (17 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Government accepted all 50 recommendations made in Dr Scally’s Scoping Inquiry into the CervicalCheck Programme, which was published on 12 September 2018. An implementation plan was published in December 2018 on the Department of Health website. The Minister for Health requested Dr Scally to undertake an independent review of the Implementation Plan. The Implementation Plan...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Deputy asked if we are vaccinating those who have had Covid-19 in order and the answer is, "Yes". As he and I have talked about previously, there is interesting evidence and data from the UK, which the Deputy referenced. I have requested that the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, comes back to me with a view on that but the current position is regardless of whether or not...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I am not sure there was a question but if there was I am more than happy to pick it up. It was more of a statement, if that is fair.

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: In response to Deputy O'Dowd, I will have to take a look at the report he referenced about the 800 people. It does not sound like something that should have happened but without being able to look at the specifics, it is very hard for me to comment. Certainly, the isolated instances we have discussed in the House previously in respect of family members were not acceptable and under no...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I will ask that the Deputy is sent a link to the relevant paper. It was issued on 5 February to answer exactly these kinds of reasonable questions. This circular gives a description of who is included in cohort 2, that is, front-line healthcare workers. Group 2(g) covers all other healthcare workers without direct patient care but who are working in a healthcare facility with the potential...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I have asked the Department to do a detailed review of cohort 7, which includes those with underlying health conditions. The current size of that cohort is especially large because it is an estimate of everyone in the country with an underlying condition. The view expressed consistently in the House - it is one I share - is that there is a smaller group within that cohort who are...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: My thanks to the Deputy for her question. There is nothing I would like more - there is nothing any of us would like more - than to have all of the supply here now, because then we could vaccinate all the people the Deputy is talking about at the same time. That is what we would like to be able to do. However, because of the limited supplies, at least in the initial months, we need...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputies for their questions. The question on rapid testing is a very good and pertinent one. I have raised with the Commission and the other health ministers that there should be a centralised clearing house and some sort of co-ordination in terms of the ability to validate and then deploy antigen testing and also to share information across the EU. I can say to the Deputy...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The sentiments expressed by the Deputy are shared across the House. These staff provide critical services. I will ask my officials to email to the Deputy a link to the HSE's document published on 5 February, which contains guidelines for sequencing and registration for healthcare workers and seeks to answer the questions the Deputy has raised. For example, sequence group 2d relates to...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: We need a global solution to this issue for all sorts of reasons. We need it for ethical and moral reasons. We also need it for reasons of self-interest. There is no point in Ireland fully vaccinating its people when we live in a globalised world. We need a global solution. Given that we need a global solution for ethical and moral reasons and for our own self-interest, is the solution...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: With regard to the gap between doses, there are different gaps. The clinical advice for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is 28 days. With Pfizer, there was a range of between 21 and 28 days and the HSE has chosen 28. The gap between the first and second doses for all age groups is 28 days for that vaccine. AstraZeneca is different. For those above the age of 65, the advice is to leave a...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, but there is an added complication in that the clinical trial data on under 18s are not back yet.

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: How long do I have?

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Absolutely. I thank all three Deputies for their questions. On Deputy Niamh Smyth's questions, paramedics are included in the first group and are being vaccinated now as front-line healthcare workers. All three Deputies asked about people with underlying conditions. As we discussed earlier, very detailed work is being done by the national immunisation advisory committee to look at that...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The national immunisation advisory committee is looking very closely at people who are undergoing dialysis along with many other vulnerable people with underlying conditions. It will report back to the Department of Health, and the Chief Medical Officer and his team will consider that. We will decide if it is appropriate at that stage to make some changes. Regarding carers, there is no...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: My understanding is that the contractors who are working in the HSE are included. For example, we are not differentiating between a doctor or a nurse who works in a HSE hospital and those working in a private hospital or a nursing home, the vast majority of which are private. To the best of my knowledge, no distinction has been made between public and private, which is the right thing to...

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (11 Feb 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I will get the Deputy a written reply to the specific case she mentioned. I will make two quick points on the ventilators. The Deputy and I, along with other Deputies in the Chamber, were very much involved in asking the HSE to do at the time whatever it took to get these ventilators in. We all remember the enormous pressure for PPE, ventilators and so forth. I have no doubt that there...