Vaccine sequencing could change this week, Dáil hears

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said updated advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee is expected on Wednesday. File Picture: Julien Behal

Changes in the timeline for vaccination of at-risk groups could be made in the coming week.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil on Wednesday that updated advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) was expected that day.

Speaking during Leaders' Questions, the Taoiseach said family carers and those who have severe medical need are among those who may be moved up the priority list. 

"NIAC has advised on the sequencing of the vaccination roll-out. In the first instance, this was the frontline health workers and those in long-term care," Mr Martin said.

"The minister has written to NIAC on the sequencing. It is my understanding that NIAC will respond today on those who might be prioritised. 

"The Government put it to NIAC to consider because we are of the view that those who are immunosuppressed or have conditions like Parkinson's or cystic fibrosis should be prioritised because if they were to contract the disease, they would be at greater risk."

The Taoiseach said Government would consider the sequencing when the NIAC recommendation is made. He said the Government was still using the Pfizer vaccine for most older people. He said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be approved sooner than anticipated.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said family carers were "the forgotten people of this pandemic" and that the NIAC had been wrong to leave them out of the first stages of vaccination. She said they had spent a year avoiding much of normal life in order to protect the medically vulnerable people they cared for.

Mr Martin said those comments were "politically charged" and said "nobody in this Dáil wants to forget anyone". 

"Of course we want to vaccinate those who have been prioritised on health and medical grounds. Because vaccines have been shown to prevent death and serious illness."

Later, the Taoiseach was accused of "driving public health doctors to the brink of strike action".

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall said the system had been neglected and underfunded for decades and pressed the Taoiseach on when agreement would be reached on improvements to public health. Picture:Gareth Chaney/Collins

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall said the system had been neglected and underfunded for decades and pressed the Taoiseach on when agreement would be reached on improvements to public health.

Ms Shortall asked the Taoiseach who would staff his commitment to retrospective contact tracing. She said pay and conditions for public health departments had been unsatisfactory for some time.

"Is it any wonder doctors won't come back to this? Is it any wonder that other countries are hiring our doctors?"

The Taoiseach said the contact tracing and testing system had been "literally built from scratch" and rapid progress had been made in scaling this system up over the course of the pandemic.

He said resourcing had been provided to the HSE to double overall hiring in public health. He said a consultant-led public health model was "a priority for this Government" and he hoped talks on the issue would "conclude quickly". 

Separately, independent TD Catherine Connolly asked the Taoiseach for answers on how testimony given by survivors of mother and baby homes had been destroyed. Mr Martin said he did not know how the Commission had come to the decision to destroy the material, but said that a leaflet given to survivors did not mention that testimony would be destroyed.

Ms Connolly said the destruction undermined the Taoiseach's State apology to survivors.

"What we have now is people who took courage in their hands and we have a summary of that by commissioners."