Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My thanks to the Minister of State for the accuracy of the numbers. I really appreciate the investigation that went into that.

From next Monday we are going to see a major uplift throughout the country. People, including the likes of my father, would be queueing up already if they could with their deckchairs. My father is hoping for and looking forward to his vaccination. As we see people like that getting the vaccinations, there will be a good lift, belief and hope for the future, because we will see vaccination in the community as opposed to behind the closed door of healthcare or residential settings.

My concern is that the minute that starts rolling out, the focus will turn to the other health issues. It will be important that we have the plan of getting back to full health. I appreciate that there are mitigating measures in place and I am thankful for that, but I believe we need to focus on getting everything back on track. Once vaccinations are rolling out, then we will need to get the appropriate focus back on all the rest of healthcare.