Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

506. To ask the Minister for Health the requirements regarding mandatory hotel quarantine for Irish citizens returning to Ireland from Bahrain in summer 2021 who have been working and have been fully vaccinated there with a vaccine (details supplied) which has been WHO approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29700/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Mandatory hotel quarantine has been introduced as one element of Ireland’s public health measures to combat the transmission of COVID-19 variants of concern.

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.

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.

As of 17th April, passengers who are fully vaccinated and have the documents to confirm this are no longer required to complete mandatory hotel quarantine on arrival in Ireland. Dependents, including children, will also be exempted from the requirement to complete mandatory hotel quarantine in this instance.

Please note that the 4 EMA approved vaccines currently accepted have specific definitions for when a person would be considered fully vaccinated.

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

Fully vaccinated travellers are still required to have a negative pre-departure RT-PCR test and complete a period of self-quarantine at home or wherever specified in their passenger locator form.

Ireland supports the EU Procurement Process, the purpose of which is to secure safe and efficacious vaccines for EU citizens.

Covid 19 vaccines can only be approved and used if they comply with all the requirements of quality, safety and efficacy set out in the EU pharmaceutical legislation. No vaccine will be used until Market Authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is obtained and any authorised vaccine will be subject to ongoing monitoring in Ireland by the Health Product Regulatory Authority (HPRA).

The delivery of vaccines under APAs that the Commission has negotiated on behalf of Member States are predicated upon a CMA being obtained from the Commission (on the basis of a positive recommendation being awarded by the EMA).

The awarding of a CMA provides a high level of assurance that a vaccine has undergone rigorous testing and has met the requirements of the independent regulatory process as regards demonstrating its safety and efficacy.

The Sinopharm vaccine has not been awarded a CMA to date.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

507. To ask the Minister for Health the number of Covid 48-hour contact back tracing procedures that were carried out in April and May 2021; the number and variants of cases identified by this method in each month; the number of Covid 7-day contact back tracing procedures that were carried out in April 2021 and May 2021; the number and variants of cases identified by this method in each month; the number of Covid 14-day contact back tracing procedures that were carried out in the month of April and May 2021; and the number and variants of cases identified by this method in each month in tabular form. [29701/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

508. To ask the Minister for Health the way he plans to deal with the likelihood of the spread of the Covid-19 Indian variant from Britain to and across Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29702/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government has introduced a range of measures to mitigate the risk of importing variants of concern including mandatory testing and quarantine requirements for passengers arriving from designated countries. Under the current measures, travellers arriving into Ireland from overseas (including from Great Britain) are required to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form, to present evidence of a negative pre-departure RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival and to observe mandatory quarantine.

Travellers from non-designated countries, including Great Britain, must observe 14 days of Home Quarantine which can be shortened on receipt of a not-detected RT-PCR test result 5 days after arrival. Those who travel from Great Britain, who are not fully vaccinated are now requested to remain in quarantine and seek a further test at least 10 days after arrival in Ireland, in addition to the day 5 test. Day 5 tests can be booked in advance via an online portal, and Day 10 tests can be availed of at the HSE walk-in testing centres. An online portal for booking day 10 tests is currently in development by the HSE

Additional messaging to incoming travellers, particularly from Britain, is being put in place to emphasise the home quarantine requirement and to encourage uptake of the 5-day post arrival test. There is continued collaboration between all relevant State stakeholders to maintain and further strengthen measures aimed at optimising compliance with the 14-day home quarantine requirement.

Due to the risk posed by the transmission of the Delta variant, enhanced contact-tracing protocols are in place for all detected positive cases with a travel history from Great Britain. We continue to closely monitor for spread of Delta through the national programme of Whole Genome Sequencing with 42% of confirmed cases sequenced in week 20. All suspected cases of the Delta variant are managed as per enhanced public health investigation and control for Variants of Concern.

In addition, given the risks posed by the Delta variant, in particular to those who are not yet fully protected though vaccination, the Government decided last week that a range of higher risk indoor activities, including organised events, service in bars and restaurants, group training, exercise and dance will not commence as planned on the 5th July, pending the implementation of a system to verify vaccination or immunity status.