Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Acting Chairperson, Senator Hoey, to the Cathaoirleach's chair and congratulate her.

I thank Senator Mullen for his question. The Senator raised many valid points. It is an issue I have been working closely on for the past couple of weeks and it is great to get the opportunity to speak to it and provide an update.

We are now almost 50 days into the roll-out of the largest vaccination programme in the history of the State. Ireland is progressing well with our programme and our vaccination figures compare favourably with other EU member states. Our strategy is to distribute vaccines as we receive them while ensuring availability of the second dose. It is important that we accept that in terms of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, we have given a commitment to administer the second dose between 22 and 28 days after the first dose. The intention is that the vaccination programme will only be limited by supply.

As of 8 February, a total of 243,000 vaccines have been administered. As of the same date, 91,500 vaccines were administered in long-term residential care facilities, of which 69,038 comprised the first dose of the vaccine and 22,510, the second dose. From Monday next, 15 February, an additional 42,500 vaccines will be delivered in long-term residential care facilities.

This week the vaccination programme is continuing with the prioritisation of staff within disability and mental health settings who are managing the care of those over 65 years. A total of 9,000 vaccines will be administered in residential care facilities this week, including to staff.

We are also focusing our efforts on residents over the age of 65 in non-registered long-term residential settings, such as religious orders and, as the Senator might be familiar with, the Sue Ryder homes or the Matthew Shea homes whose residents would have their own front doors but live in congregated settings. They are being prioritised for vaccination this week and in line with vaccine supply, each community healthcare organisation commenced these vaccinations. In order to answer the Senator's question, for local knowledge it is best to contact HSE within their community healthcare organisations, CHOs.

Anyone over 70 who may not have a GP needs to contact the HSE as a priority. There is a telephone number: 1850 24 1850. There is a small cohort of people who may not be registered with a GP for some reason and a GP close to them will be found.

In relation to the other questions the Senator raised, the Senator quite rightly stated that initially the 580 nursing homes, public, private and voluntary, which are know to and registered with HIQA, were the first to be put on the list. Then it became known quickly that there were many carer-led homes, which were mostly religious orders, and some community-led homes which were also carer-led not nurse-led, that were not known specifically to HIQA. I intend to change that because I have received the list of these homes this week.

Local knowledge was very important. I was contacted by so many Deputies and Senators throughout the country to ask when such-and-such a facility would get its vaccinations. It has started this week. Carers in these homes have also been vaccinated. A niece of mine was one of them and I know for a fact that the carers and the workers were vaccinated also.

When we have the roll-out of the vaccine complete to all of these orders, I intend to write to them. I met with the Department last week to discuss this because I believe we must have oversight going forward of all people who are living in residential settings. Whether care-led or nurse-led, or whether religious, it makes no difference. They are our people and they need to be cared for. Even from a safeguarding point of view, it is important that we know where our older people are living and who is caring for them.