Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. My request is very simple. I ask that all people who are immunocompromised receive the second Covid-19 booster vaccine without delay. I cannot understand why this is not happening. We are told there is no shortage of vaccines. Clearly, it would make sense to vaccinate the most vulnerable in society. Someone with type 1 diabetes is in the same cohort as someone with type 2 diabetes. We all know that type 1 diabetes is much more challenging and has a much bigger health risk than type 2. Type 2 diabetes is more often than not brought on as a result of lifestyle whereas type 1 is something people are born with. It is not appropriate that they would both be in the one cohort. We want all of these people to be vaccinated but there is a delay, which is not acceptable. I would like to know why that is.

We also need a new and revised information campaign on vaccines in general. There is a little slippage in this area. People are a bit careless about getting their booster shots. We need a renewed information campaign about the benefits of the Covid-19 booster vaccine. Covid has not gone away. The Minister of State knows that. We all know it. There are still people getting sick from Covid and there are people in hospital and intensive care as a result of Covid. Clearly there is a benefit to the vaccine. We saw that during the recent Omicron wave. The numbers of people hospitalised were way down even though the numbers that tested positive for Covid were way up. The number of people in intensive care was significantly down in spite of the fact that the virus was rampant throughout the community. That was because 97% of the Irish people were vaccinated. Vaccines work. They will not prevent people from getting Covid but they will prevent them from getting very sick when they get it, in a lot of cases. That is not true in all cases but it is in a lot of them. There are immunocompromised people waiting to be called to get their second booster shot. That is not acceptable. Some have got it from their GPs but many have not. If they look for it, they are told it is not their turn yet. There is something seriously wrong here. I do not know who is to blame, whether the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, the Minister, the Department or the HSE. Can somebody please explain the logic of not vaccinating with a second booster shot people who are immunocompromised? It is very simple. This just does not make sense.

There has been a lot of talk of long Covid. There is a huge body of work to be done on people who are still suffering from long Covid. We are hearing a lot of talking about it but we are not seeing too much walking or delivery. That is an issue for another day but I thought I would raise it while I had the opportunity. I hope the Minister of State will have some positive news for the people who are most vulnerable in our society, who need to get a second booster shot in order to protect their health and ensure they do not get sick or lose their lives from Covid.