Expert urges public to 'give the HSE a bit of credit' in wait for Covid-19 vaccine

Professor Luke O’Neill has said that public health guidelines still needed to be followed as Ireland await a Covid-19 vaccine roll-out plan. File Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Immunologist Professor Luke O’Neill has called on the public to be patient with the HSE on their plans for the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.

“Give the HSE a bit of credit, it’s going to be tricky (to roll out), it will take a little time,” he told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show.

Prof. O'Neill said that, in the meantime, it was important “to keep banging the drum” about following Covid-19 protocols such as hand washing, wearing a mask and observing social distances. 

Prof. O’Neill said he agreed with the prioritisation of vaccinating those in nursing homes, the elderly, people with serious conditions, and health care workers. 

Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine data published today in the NEJM. Remarkable results. https://t.co/RbqsqxYX9p

— Luke O'Neill (@laoneill111) December 10, 2020

He said: “Get those vaccinated first and then the numbers will plummet.” 

Former head of the HSE, Tony O’Brien, speaking on the same programme, said communicating the benefit of vaccination was “very important”. 

Mr O'Brien said this would be necessary to “get the message out in a very clear way”. 

Earlier on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, the chairman of the Irish Medical Organisation's GP sub-committee, Dr Denis McCauley, said the roll-out of the vaccine in Ireland would depend on how transportable it was.

Dr McCauley said it was his understanding that a certain amount of the vaccine would arrive into the country in January and, if it was the Pfizer vaccine, it could be “technically difficult” to work with given the specific storage requirements.

"GPs will be important in the roll-out of the vaccine," he said. 

“This is what we do, we are good vaccinators and good at picking out at-risk groups and reassuring them. 

We have to take the fear and mystery out of it.

Dr McCauley said doctors will have to explain to people that vaccination could mean a sore arm or a headache for a few days, but that it would ultimately allow them to return to their daily lives. 

He said that GPs were used to working under stressful circumstances and could keep their surgeries running while administering the vaccine.

Dr McCauley added that, ultimately, a vaccine was going to conquer Covid-19 but that the public still had to take precautions.

Great to see that the extensive network of Irish community pharmacies will be part of the rollout of the #covid-19 #vaccine programme #ThinkPharmacy https://t.co/IVrQTCdJf3

— Irish Pharmacy Union (@IrishPharmacy) December 11, 2020

Darragh O'Loughlin, Secretary-General of the Irish Pharmacy Union, also told Morning Ireland that pharmacists will “certainly” be involved in the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Given that eight million doses will have to be administered, Mr O'Loughlin said that "anyone able to deliver a vaccine service would have to be involved".