Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Seanad for the opportunity to update it on the Covid-19 vaccination programme. The programme has continued uninterrupted since our last session despite the cyberattack on both the HSE and the Department of Health, although this criminal attack on our IT systems has had an impact on the programme as the validation of data and daily reporting of vaccination figures have not been possible.

Ireland's vaccination programme represents one of the greatest public health and logistical challenges the health services have ever faced. It is a testament to the commitment and quality of character of those who work in our health services that they have met this challenge and we are seeing such significant progress with the roll-out despite the attack on our systems. We have made major inroads into the vaccination of people all over Ireland, with the vaccination of the most vulnerable in society now largely completed and what a wonderful thing it is for us to be able to discuss here today.

In the middle of last week, Mr. Des O'Grady from Castleknock received the 100,000th vaccine dose administered just at the Citywest vaccination centre. This was a remarkable achievement for one centre. Mr. O'Grady received one of approximately 300,000 vaccine doses that were administered last week. That followed on from a record week in our vaccination programme the previous week when in excess of 300,000 vaccine doses were administered, including almost 40,000 of the single-dose Janssen vaccine.

It is now estimated that we have administered around 2.7 million vaccine doses. More than half of eligible adults have now received at least one dose, which is an amazing result. I know that colleagues will join me in expressing gratitude on behalf of the Government and of the entire Oireachtas to the many thousands of women and men in every county in the vaccination centres, GP practices, vaccination teams and nursing homes, including therapists, nurses, doctors and clinicians from across the healthcare family, as well as students, volunteers and people who have come out of retirement.

The National Ambulance Service and the Defence Forces have played an extraordinary role. We also have been helped by other Departments and Government agencies. The vaccination programme has been a truly national effort. It is wonderful to think that after what has been a dark and brutal year in many ways, more than half of the adult population has now received at least one dose.I want to pay tribute to everybody who has been involved, right across the board. I was in Citywest this morning meeting the team that is responding to the cyberattack. As with the rest of the vaccine programme, again we are seeing people from right across the country involved. We had the involvement of the Department of Health, the HSE, the Defence Forces, the National Ambulance Service, friends and partners across other Departments and State agencies, as well as private sector partners. It is a huge effort.

The Citywest campus is a physical embodiment of the can-do attitude across healthcare. Our cyberattack response is being run from there. It is a massive vaccination centre. Outpatient appointments are being kept there, including orthopaedic surgeons who are doing outpatient appointments. There are rehabilitation and therapy sessions going on there. It is where we put up some of our staff who cannot self-isolate or who cannot keep those they live with safe. It is also where we accommodate people who need to self-isolate outside of the healthcare world and who have nowhere else to do it. It is an amazing physical manifestation of the can-do attitude in healthcare and right across the country. There are loads of volunteers helping people all over the campus. It has been incredible.

The registration system is open, as colleagues will be aware, for those aged 45 to 49. I am delighted to be able to share with colleagues that the portal will open for those aged 40 to 44 from this Wednesday morning. It will be the same drill as before, in that the first day it will be open for people who are 44, the next day for people who are 43 and so on. That is really good news and more progress is being made this week.

As uptake is going well, I want to share some figures with colleagues. Among those aged 60 to 69, about 90% have started vaccination. For those aged 50 to 59, we have a registration rate in excess of 86%, which is fantastic. Encouragingly, for those aged 40 to 49, between those who have registered and are now being vaccinated through the portal and the fact that there is a large cohort of healthcare workers who are within this age group, we already have a 45% rate of those in their 40s who are either registered or have started their vaccination programme. For those aged over 70, nearly 100% have been vaccinated. When one looks at the European tables for the percentage of vulnerable people vaccinated, in terms of both age and those who are healthcare workers, Ireland leads the EU. We are number one in the entire EU in vaccinating the most vulnerable people and our healthcare workers first. We should be immensely proud as a nation that this is how we went about our business.

The vaccination programme has been extended to encompass pregnant women, with pregnancies of 34 weeks and above being prioritised. An operational plan for the vaccination of pregnant women between 14 and 36 weeks has been implemented. All 19 maternity services have a pathway in place for these vaccinations. We have extended the vaccination programme to those in socially vulnerable groups, such as those in homelessness and addiction. A vaccination pathway is also being provided to those in the Traveller and Roma communities. This pathway was extended to a number of community health organisations at the beginning of last week. A total of 37 vaccination centres are in operation around the country and a 38th will open shortly in University College Dublin, UCD.

The Government is taking measures to secure the future immunity of the Irish people from Covid-19 as well and it is providing a robust framework against variants of the disease, which we are watching closely. Ireland has recently opted into a new purchase agreement at an EU level for up to 1.8 billion messenger ribonucleic acid, mRNA, based vaccine doses, of which we will take a pro ratashare. While the basket of vaccines will be broadened for the future, this is a significant advance purchase by Ireland and the rest of the EU of the Pfizer vaccine, which has proven both reliable and highly effective. The purpose of the agreement is to ensure that member states have access to a vaccine that can be used to provide booster doses if that is required. It can also be adjusted to protect against emerging variants and it can be safely administered to younger people.We have seen the European Medicines Agency, EMA, grant approval in that regard in the last few days for those aged from 12 to 15 years. The agreement is also to ensure that member states have access to vaccines linked to a dependable and secure supply chain - we all know how important that is - and which will be easier to store and more portable than its predecessor. There have been some very encouraging technological advances with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and much easier storage is now possible compared with the super low temperatures we used for this round. All of this will serve as a backbone for our vaccination strategy for the next two years. We will contribute directly to the manufacture of this vaccine as well, which is really exciting. I am sure all Deputies warmly welcome the announcement that Pfizer's Grange Castle plant will play a role and 75 new jobs will be created. Subject to regulatory approval, production at that plant could commence as early as the end of this year, which would be fantastic.

Through our participation in various EU forums and the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access, COVAX programme, we are also taking steps to plan access to vaccines for countries less fortunate than we are. That is very important to me and Members of the House. We discussed this issue previously, and I expect we will do so again today. Recent events, including in India, are another reminder of why we need a global and just solution to this pandemic.

We are moving ever closer to meeting our goal of offering vaccinations to everyone in Ireland who wants one. We are vaccinating those at the margins of society, those bringing new life into our communities and those living in the most vulnerable parts of the global community. These are significant achievements for our nation, and they show what is best about our country and public service. I conclude, therefore, by acknowledging all those making our vaccination programme so successful - the healthcare family, members of the Defence Forces, the staff of the National Ambulance Service, as well as vaccinators, general practitioners and all the wonderful staff in general practices, our healthcare workers and volunteers. So many people have contributed again and again, and I thank them all for working so hard to make this vaccination programme a success.