Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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658. To ask the Minister for Health if NIAC has researched a matter related to vaccines and hotel quarantine (details supplied). [23240/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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NIAC has been involved in assessing the evidence and liaising with international stakeholders on new vaccines as they are being developed against COVID-19 to inform a national immunisation programme.

- Following the recommendation for use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Comirnaty®, COVID-19 Vaccine – Moderna, Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine - Astra Zeneca) and COVID-19 - Vaccine Janssen by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and authorisation for use by the European Commission, NIAC has developed guidance for their use in Ireland which is contained in the Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland.

- This is a rapidly evolving area, with the EMA currently assessing four other vaccines, including CVnCoV/CureVac, NVX-CoV2373/Novovax, Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) and COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) Inactivated/Sinovac.

- NIAC are not involved in travel policy related to COVID-19, however, the definition of a fully vaccinated individual as applied to travel utilises the NIAC definition of vaccine-induced immunity. This will be reviewed as further data relating to other vaccines, and their efficacy including in the context of variants of concern, becomes available.