Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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1580. To ask the Minister for Health the number of checks that have occurred on a weekly basis from 6 February 2021 to date on persons quarantining at home after arriving here; the number in each case of SMS, telephone and Garda checks; and the number of persons who were compliant and non-compliant in tabular form. [14734/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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All passengers arriving to the State are required to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator form. There are limited exemptions from this requirement for international transport workers, diplomats and children under 16. The Passenger Locator Form is used to support a system of engagements with arriving passengers including the targeting of public health messaging by SMS and email and may be used for contact tracing. Passengers may have completed a passenger locator form in advance of travelling and not travelled. Invalid paper forms may have illegible information including phone numbers or other essential information that is unclear and is required for follow-up. The paper form has been updated to an OCR form to improve legibility. Efforts continue to promote the use of the online form.

Passengers who completed a Passenger Locator Form are contacted by SMS and follow up phone calls to verify the address details provided on the form. SMS messages are also sent to deliver public health information.

My Department is informed by the Department of Justice that 590 checks on persons quarantining at home were conducted between 24 February and 14 March.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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1581. To ask the Minister for Health the population size for each cohort that is named in the provisional vaccine allocation groups list. [14736/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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On the 23rd of February 2021, the Minister for Health announced an update to Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy.

In comprising the initial Vaccine Allocation Strategy, the National Immunisation and Advisory Committee (NIAC) listed several conditions associated with increased risk of severe disease and death. In the intervening period, national and international evidence has become available which has enabled a more detailed analysis of underlying conditions that may increase the risk of developing severe disease or death.

The NIAC has now been able to more comprehensively identify those medical conditions and to distinguish between those which place a person at very high or high risk of severe disease if they contract the virus. Medical conditions and the magnitude of the risk they pose will continue to be monitored and periodically reviewed.

The NIAC continues to monitor data around this disease and indeed emerging data on effectiveness of vaccines on a rolling basis. Further details are available at the following link:

The next cohort to be vaccinated (Cohort 4) are those aged 16-69 and at very high risk of severe illness and death. Vaccination of this group began in March.  Work is continuing on the stratification of subsequent groups and assessing the number of people encompassed by each group.