Covid-19: Health Minister announces who will get vaccine first

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has also announced that there "should be no barrier to people accessing a vaccine", and therefore the vaccine programme will be available free of charge to everyone in Ireland.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has announced the order in which different sections of society will receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

Details on what is being called the "sequencing" or the phases were announced today after being signed off by Cabinet.

Under the plan, those over the age of 65 who are residents in long-term care facilities will be the first sequence, with front-line healthcare workers who are in direct contact with patients the second. That will be followed by those over 70, beginning with those aged over 85 and working down in bands of five years.

The minister has also announced that there "should be no barrier to people accessing a vaccine", and therefore the vaccine programme will be available free of charge to everyone in Ireland.

The Covid-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy was based on a Department of Health and National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) paper which sets out a provisional priority list of groups for vaccination once a safe and effective vaccine has received authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The EMA is expected to sign off on a vaccine late this month.

Mr Donnelly said that the vaccines were "a beacon of hope".

“Recent news from vaccine developers are a beacon of hope after a very difficult year. 

Vaccination is a hugely effective intervention for saving lives and promoting good health. 

"Of course, the safety and effectiveness of vaccines is our absolute priority and any Covid-19 vaccine administered in Ireland will have to be authorised by the European Medicines Agency. 

"While we await news on whether these vaccines comply with all of the EMA’s requirements of quality, safety and efficacy, the Government has been working ahead on plans for the roll-out of vaccines.” 

“A key part of the roll-out will be ensuring that those most vulnerable to Covid-19 receive vaccinations first. 

As a frontline doctor, I have seen the benefit of vaccines in our population writes @profmaryhorgan in today's @irishexaminer Vaccine development is a key component of controlling a pandemic working alongside human behaviour, testing, tracing& quarantininghttps://t.co/IyYfx96HOZ pic.twitter.com/DxUIHKJAA5

— Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (@RCPI_news) December 8, 2020

"Given the country’s experience with Covid-19 to date and the risks that vulnerable people and those in frontline roles in the health and social care services continue to face, it is only right that they are prioritised in the allocation of vaccines. The government has followed the advice from our leading medical experts.” 

Though Ireland has secured enough doses of candidate vaccines for every person in the country, the initial availability will be limited, meaning prioritisation of those more vulnerable.

The strategy will evolve and adapt with more detailed information on the vaccines and their effectiveness, with sources saying that certain vaccines could prove more effective in nursing homes, for example.

"Under the plan, healthy 18-64-year-olds who are not healthcare or essential workers will be among the last to receive a vaccine, before children and adolescents."