Pressure mounting on Government over Covid-19 vaccine delays

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD has been criticised by opposition TDs over the slow rollout of the vaccine in Ireland. File Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Calls have been made on the Government to immediately publish the daily vaccination figures and to provide full clarity on the delivery of Covid vaccinations.

Pressure is mounting from the opposition and within Government ranks to provide more transparency on the acquisition, delivery and rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations.

It comes after the first day of vaccinations across care homes was delayed on Monday due to issues with consent forms. However, the HSE has stressed that 35,000 people would be vaccinated this week as had been planned.

Vaccines are a breakthrough. But Minister needs to provide clarity on the timeline to which he is working for the rollout of vaccination programme across the various priority groups and who will be administering it. @RoisinShortall https://t.co/tXqr1Cqour

— Social Democrats (@SocDems) January 5, 2021

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall called on Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to provide clarity around the expected phasing of the delivery of the vaccine, details on who will administer the vaccine and whether issues that delayed the initial start have been fully resolved.

All that is known so far is that nursing home residents and staff, as well as frontline health workers, are expected to receive a vaccine by the end of February. We are still in the dark for other priority groups and for the general public."

Labour leader Alan Kelly is "really worried" about delays in vaccination, adding there is a lack of reliable information on delivery and rollout. If red tape is an issue, then it must be tackled, he said.

“This is why I called for a dedicated minister to be in charge of rolling out the programme, so that there are enough frontline staff involved and one person dedicated to getting this right."

He said there was now an urgent need to give daily updates on numbers of people vaccinated, vaccine procurement and the implementation plan.

"Let’s give people hope – instead there is a lack of transparency," Mr Kelly said.

This was echoed by Sinn Féin health spokesperson David Cullinane, who said there was a lack of information around the number of vaccinations we will get and when these will arrive in Ireland.

I am calling on Stephen Donnelly to give people as much information as possible, level with people, be honest."

Mr Cullinane said regular updates must be provided on how many doses have been administered and how many vaccinations are available.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has said that more detail with clear timeframes and transparency is needed on the rollout of the Covid vaccine

“Quite simply we have to get this right"@davidcullinane https://t.co/7R9fUJ59Tu pic.twitter.com/FKE4dqQx3i

— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) January 3, 2021

The HSE said it would publish reports on vaccination uptake.

But a spokesperson said: "As the programme has just started, data is being collated and validated and will be reported and published by HSE at a later date."

EU & Ireland failing citizens so far on vaccine. Made in EU yet Israel & Bahrain lead the world using an EU vaccine 😳 12% of Israel population dosed already. Ireland have it a week, we ve put it on display and vaccinated less than 2000. Pedestrian !Let’s get with the program. pic.twitter.com/Oa15Ducur0

— Marc MacSharry (@MarcMacsharryTD) January 2, 2021

Raising concerns, Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry said adequate supply must be obtained at "whatever price".

We are signed up to the European approach and European supply chain timeline, but how on earth is a European vaccine not available in large supply in Europe? Is it about money? Complacency? Or just ineptitude? 

"Whatever the case, we must lead the charge in seeking to alter their approach, inject the essential leadership which is absent in this matter so far."

This was echoed by Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher, who called for an urgent review of the European Commission’s Vaccine Purchase and Rollout programme.

“It is clear that it’s not working as efficiently as it should be and that citizens are getting frustrated seeing non-EU countries power ahead with their own vaccine rollout," he said.