Written answers

Wednesday, 16 December 2020

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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347. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department and the HSE plan for an educational messaging strategy to explain the development and speed in bringing the Covid-19 vaccine to reality, assurances regarding public health and safety and the importance of maximising the take-up of the vaccine when it is offered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44002/20]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy raises an important and valid question regarding educational messaging in Government’s response to this pandemic.

COVID-19 is a new disease, at the moment there is no cure. Government will only use a vaccine if it meets the required standards of safety and effectiveness. All of the recommended vaccines used in Ireland are licensed by the Health Products Regulatory Authority. They are licensed for use only when they have been shown to be both safe and effective.

Due to the urgency posed by the pandemic, unprecedented efforts are ongoing to develop COVID-19 vaccines and make them available as soon as possible. Unprecedented levels of scientific research and collaboration, investment and early and proactive engagement between vaccine developers and regulators has helped speed up development and ensured that quality, safety and effectiveness are not compromised.

Vaccines are a proven, cost-effective intervention to protect public health; second only to the provision of clean water. Worldwide, they save at least 2-3 million lives each year – and many more from crippling and lifelong illnesses.

Certain priority groups will be vaccinated first. For example, frontline healthcare workers and people who are most at risk from serious infection if they catch COVID-19. Once these priority groups have been vaccinated, the vaccine will be available to the rest of the population.

While a vaccine is to be welcomed, no vaccine is a silver bullet. It is the pharmaceutical intervention to complement our ongoing adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions – the public health advice telling us to wash our hands, cough into our elbows, maintain 2 metres social distance and wear face coverings.

Yesterday, I published the National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy , which outlines Ireland’s high-level plan for safe, effective and efficient vaccination of the population, while safeguarding continued provision of health and social care services.

The National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy, which was prepared by the High-Level Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccination, was signed off by Cabinet yesterday.

An integrated work programme, comprising of seven workstreams was established by the Task Force, one of these workstream focused on Communications and Engagement.

The communications and engagement strategy the Department of Health is undertaking has two main objectives. The first is preparing for the vaccine, emphasising the safety and regulatory processes that are taking place in Ireland, Europe and across the world, engaging with people who have genuine hesitancies around the vaccine and communicating the Government Plan from acquisition to prioritisation to distribution.

The second objective will focus on the implementation of the vaccine programme – encouraging the public to get the vaccine, informing who will administer it and where, identifying people of trust to act as ambassadors for the vaccine.

The communications strategy will build on the public trust the ongoing COVID-19 communications campaign has generated through open and transparent communication led by experts, ongoing understanding of public sentiment, clear and consistent communication to empower the public and collaboration between my Department, the HSE and the HPRA.

Key learning from the recent HPV campaign shows the importance of listening to the public, acknowledging and addressing their fears, delivering clinical advice with empathy and ensuring that the vaccine is logistically and financially easy to access.

Understanding, reacting and responding to public sentiment had been a core element of the COVID-19 and HPV campaign to date through a weekly quantitative Tracker for my Department, prepared by Amarách, a fortnightly qualitative tracker utilising focus groups and in depth interviews and the work of the Behavioural Research Advisory Group.

Active expert participants in the campaign will come from my Department, the HPRA, and the HSE, ensuring clear and consistent communications from a trusted source, while the messaging will move from the yellow ‘alert of the COVID-19 campaign, to a blue for hope and control.

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