David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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614. To ask the Minister for Health if those eligible for the free flu vaccine through the HSE immunisation programme will be eligible for reimbursement after HSE procured supplies are exhausted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43462/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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1.95 million doses of influenza vaccine, including 1.35 million doses of the Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (QIV) for administration to all persons in an at-risk group and 600,000 doses of the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV) for all children aged from 2 to 12 years old inclusive, have been made available for the current influenza vaccination programme. The amount of vaccine made available for this winter is almost double the amount of vaccine administered last winter.

Notwithstanding the large increase in available vaccine this year, the full supply of QIV may be used, representing an increase of 35% in uptake over last year. At that stage, sufficient stock will have been delivered for an uptake in excess of 80% in the targeted groups.

Not all persons eligible under the programme will avail of vaccination, and so it is not possible to know how many may still be awaiting vaccination. There are no plans at present to reimburse persons eligible under the programme who avail of vaccination on a private basis.

As of 10th December, almost 950,000 claims for reimbursement from GPs and pharmacists for the administration QIV and approximately 193,000 claims for the administration of LAIV have been received. Due to the lower than expected uptake of the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine for children, I have the administration of LAIV to all children aged from 2 years to 17 years inclusive, for the remainder of 2020 only.