Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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269. To ask the Minister for Health if he is considering including phlebotomists as a category eligible to vaccinate persons for Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10659/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE are building and deploying its workforce in order to be prepared for the requirements associated with rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine programme.

GPs, Pharmacists, doctors, nurses, paramedics, and many healthcare professionals, will have a role to play in the vaccination programme.

The vaccine roll out is being conducted on a 7-day week basis and to date, more than 7,400 staff have received training to operate as vaccinators. To support the expanded immunisation programme the HSE launched a vaccinator recruitment campaign last week.

It is not intended that phlebotomists will be called upon to participate as vaccinators in the programme at this time.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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270. To ask the Minister for Health if he is considering including veterinarians as a category eligible to vaccinate persons for Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10660/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE are building and deploying its workforce in order to be prepared for the requirements associated with rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine programme.

GPs, Pharmacists, doctors, nurses, paramedics, and many healthcare professionals, will have a role to play in the vaccination programme.

The vaccine roll out is being conducted on a 7-day week basis and to date, more than 7,400 staff have received training to operate as vaccinators. To support the expanded immunisation programme the HSE launched a vaccinator recruitment campaign last week.

It is not intended that veterinarians will be called upon to participate as vaccinators in the programme at this time.