Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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340. To ask the Minister for Health if he will request the National Immunisation Advisory Committee to examine the possibility of giving a vaccine (details supplied) as the second dose for those who have already received a vaccine for a first dose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32034/21]

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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388. To ask the Minister for Health if a person who has received their first vaccine (details supplied) dose and is due to receive their second dose must receive the vaccine as their second dose or can choose which vaccine they can avail of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32564/21]

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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390. To ask the Minister for Health if an alternative vaccine can be offered to persons who received their first dose of a vaccine (details supplied) but want to be given an alternative vaccine for their second dose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32574/21]

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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391. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of studies have shown that mixing vaccines, particularly mixing a mRNA vaccine after an initial dose of a vaccine (details supplied) may provide more efficacious outcomes against the variants than administering the same vaccine twice; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that a number of countries including Canada, Sweden and Norway are adopting this approach; if he will permit individuals to choose which vaccine to take for their booster dose and in particular for the 60-69 age cohort who were required to take a particular vaccine for their initial dose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32575/21]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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415. To ask the Minister for Health his views on comments (details supplied) in relation to the possible mix and match of vaccines in order to protect the most vulnerable quicker than previously planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32819/21]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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421. To ask the Minister for Health if he plans to amend the vaccine protocol for the 60-70 age cohort in the context of offering persons in this age profile the option of receiving an alternative to a vaccine (details supplied). [32881/21]

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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441. To ask the Minister for Health if a person will be prioritised for another vaccination if they refuse a vaccine (details supplied) as a second dose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33053/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 340, 388, 390, 391, 413, 415, 421 and 441 together.

Ireland's COVID-19 vaccination programme strategy is to distribute all available vaccine as quickly as is operationally possible, prioritising those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19.

The programme is based on the principles of safety, effectiveness and fairness, with the objective of reducing severe illness, hospitalisation and deaths from COVID-19 infection.

The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The Committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. It makes recommendations on vaccination policy to the Department of Health. The NIAC review all data relating to COVID-19 vaccines on a rolling basis.

Following the recommendation for use of vaccines against COVID-19 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and authorisation for use by the European Commission, the NIAC develops guidance for their use in Ireland which is contained in the Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland. These guidelines are continuously updated and include guidance on all new vaccines as they are approved for use in Ireland.

The current Guidelines state:

There are currently four COVID-19 Vaccines authorised for use in Ireland. The vaccines are not interchangeable. For vaccines that have a two-dose schedule, the same vaccine should be used for both doses. The NIAC will continue to review the evidence concerning the safety and efficacy of a heterologous vaccination strategy (using a different vaccine for the first and subsequent doses of a multi-dose schedule) as it becomes available.

You can read the guidelines at: www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/guidelines/covid19.pdf.