Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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1837. To ask the Minister for Health if it is possible for those who test positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland or the United Kingdom to receive a certificate of recovery in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2024/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The EU Digital COVID Certificate is a document which is issued to help facilitate the safe and free international movement of people across the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU Digital COVID Certificate is proof that you have either been vaccinated against COVID-19 or received a negative COVID-19 test result or recovered from COVID-19 in the last 6 months. 

Ireland has an EU Digital COVID Certificate Third Country portal which is accessible to all eligible Irish passport holders vaccinated partially or completely outside of the EU; applications in relation to recovery are not eligible.

On the 28 October 2021 the UK was awarded an equivalence decision by the EU meaning that COVID-19 vaccination, test and recovery certificates issued by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in accordance with the system entitled “UK COVID Certificates” shall, for the purpose of facilitating the right of free movement within the Union, be considered as equivalent to those issued in accordance with EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation. 

As such, recovery certificates issued in the UK, in accordance with the system entitled “UK COVID Certificates”, are now considered as equivalent to EU Digital COVID Certificates.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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1838. To ask the Minister for Health his views on a vaccine (details supplied); if the G7 countries are supporting the manufacturing of this vaccine which has the potential to produce vaccines for sub-Saharan Africa, southeast Asia and Latin America; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2033/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland is participating in a Procurement Exercise being operated by the European Commission on behalf of Member States to procure suitable, safe and effective vaccines, in sufficient quantities, to combat COVID-19. Ireland has entered into seven Advance Purchase Agreements (APAs), subject to regulatory approval, for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccine from a range of manufacturers.

Five vaccines have been authorised by the EU to date; Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech), Spikevax (Moderna), Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), Janssen and NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax).  Under the provisions negotiated by the European Commission, the Covid-19 vaccines are used once 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 purpose of any medicines regulatory regime, be it at a national or centralised level, is to protect patient and public health through the operation of structured, consistent evaluation system which assures patient trust and confidence in the therapeutics utilised. The vaccine referred to be the Deputy has not been the subject of an application to the EMA for market authorisation. 

In terms of vaccine distribution to countries outside the EU, universal and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines is a priority for the EU and for Ireland. Ireland concurs with the position statement of the G7 Ministers of 16 December 2021, where they reiterated their continuous support for COVAX, their commitment to the global effort on vaccine rollout and their support for accelerated development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics in pandemics. The COVAX donation mechanism represents the most appropriate opportunity to distribute vaccines quickly and fairly to those who need them most. In this regard, the European Union committed to donate 250 million doses to low and middle-income countries in 2021, with 380 million doses ultimately donated and more than 255 million of these doses already delivered to recipient countries.