Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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897. To ask the Minister for Health the reason patients with significantly reduced lung capacity are not receiving early vaccinations given the dangers that Covid-19 poses to their health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21325/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy sets out a provisional list of groups for vaccination. The Strategy was developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and my Department, endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and approved by Government on 8 December 2020.

On the 23rd of February, I announced an update to Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy. In comprising the initial Vaccine Allocation Strategy, the 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.

On the 30th of March, the Government approved a further update to the COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Strategy. Based on clinical, scientific and ethical frameworks produced by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and my Department, following the vaccination of those most at risk, future groups will be vaccinated by age, in cohorts of 10 years (i.e., 64-55; 54-45, etc.).

The move to an age-based model better supports the programme objectives by:

- protecting those at highest risk of severe disease first, which benefits everyone most;

- facilitating planning and execution of the programme across the entire country;

- improving transparency and fairness.

Further details are available here:

People with chronic severe respiratory disease (for example, severe cystic fibrosis, severe COPD, severe pulmonary fibrosis) will be vaccinated in Group 4. Vaccination of this group began in March.

People with other chronic respiratory disease (for example, stable cystic fibrosis, severe asthma (continuous or repeated use of systemic corticosteroids), moderate COPD) will be vaccinated in Group 5 or Group 7, depending on their age.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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898. To ask the Minister for Health if it is planned to vary the requirement for persons travelling to Ireland from the United Kingdom to quarantine in view of the low incidence of Covid-19 that exists in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21338/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Act 1947, as amended, provides that all persons arriving in Ireland from a designated state, or having travelled through a designated state in the previous 14 days, are required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a designated facility unless they are an exempted traveller under the Act. All applicable travellers must reserve and pay for a place in mandatory hotel quarantine.

The designation of states will be subject to ongoing review in line with the provisions of Section 38B of the Health Act 1947, which was inserted by the Health (Amendment) Act 2021. A full list of designated states can be accessed on gov.ie/quarantine.

Mandatory hotel quarantine is also necessary in circumstances where passengers coming from non-designated states, do not provide evidence that they have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before arrival into Ireland.

The Government continues to evaluate wider policy on international travel as informed by the epidemiological situation and public health advice. In this context, regulations have been introduced to allow fully vaccinated persons arriving from designated states to be exempt from Mandatory Hotel Quarantine.

However, this only applies to persons who are ‘fully vaccinated’with an EMA-approved vaccine and there will be a requirement to quarantine at home following arrival into the State. Passengers who are fully vaccinated are also required to provide a negative pre-departure RT-PCR test taken in the 72 hours pre-departure and to complete a period of self-quarantine at home or wherever specified in their passenger locator form.

The following table sets out the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’;

Neither I as Minister for Health nor my Department have a role in decisions relating to whether individual persons must enter mandatory quarantine or whether individual persons are exempted travellers. All such decisions are to be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Act.