Stephen Donnelly: 'Full steam ahead' with J&J jab if approved

NIAC is understood to have said that the single-dose vaccine could also be administered to younger people if no alternative is available. File Picture

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) recommendation on the use of the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines for the over-50s will be presented to Cabinet this morning and if accepted they would be used as quickly as possible.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland on his way into the Cabinet meeting, Mr Donnelly said if approved it would be “full steam ahead” and that plans were being put in place so that once there was Cabinet approval “we can move immediately.” 

All vaccines would be available and the plan was to move to the 50-59 age group as quickly as possible, he added.

Niac was continuing to assess all information on the vaccines as it became available and could make further recommendations on widening the availability on some or all of the vaccines.

“This is good news,” he said.

However, Niac is understood to have said that the single-dose vaccine, which has been in storage awaiting approval, could also be administered to younger people if no alternative is available.

In a boost to the vaccine rollout, Niac has said that the J&J jab could also be used on those who live in hard-to-reach communities.

The decision on whether to accept the recommendation will ultimately be made by the Government based on the advice of the chief medical officer (CMO), Tony Holohan. 

The single-shot Covid-19 jab was expected to play a major role in the Irish vaccine rollout and was heralded as a "game changer" by Taoiseach Micheál Martin back in February.

Benefits outweigh risks

The Chairman of the GP Committee of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr Denis McCauley has said that the decision by NIAC to approve the use of the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines means that the target of vaccinating 80% of the population by the end of June can still be met.

The availability of the two vaccines meant there could be in excess of four million doses in the next quarter which was the primary thing, he told Newstalk Breakfast.

All the vaccines were really safe with a very small risk, which was less than one in a million, he added.

The June target was still achievable and the availability of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine meant that the roll-out programme could “catch up.”

Last week, the European Medicines Agency said the benefits of the J&J Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the risks associated with rare blood clotting incidents.

Meanwhile, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys will bring a memo to Cabinet today detailing the scale of the spend on supports as a result of the pandemic as government departments come under pressure to halt the dramatic increase in expenditure.

Troika-style budget controls have been slapped on the biggest government departments as part of a need to cut an estimated €12bn from state spending.

A total of €7bn has already been spent on the pandemic unemployment payment and the social protection minister will provide updates on the amount spent on other payments, including the EWSS and illness benefit.

The departments of Education, Higher Education, Housing, and Justice will also bring quarterly expenditure reports in respect of current and capital spending to Cabinet as Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath moves to cut back on Covid-related measures.

However, Sinn Féin's finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said the spending controls will result in workers and families continuing to be negatively impacted by the pandemic for years to come.

He described as "an insult" the fact that Mr McGrath intends cutting vital income supports for those who need them, having signed off on €16,000 salary increases for super junior ministers and €80,000 for a secretary general that, he said, "was not even needed".

Phased reopening

The Government is preparing to announce a further phased reopening of the economy on Thursday, including the resumption of all construction, a return of hairdressers, as well as retail from May.

Ministers will be strongly led by Nphet's recommendations as they remain cautious after the massive spike in cases that followed a reopening of some sectors before Christmas. However, members of Cabinet are still hopeful of a further reopening to include the hospitality and tourism sector in June.

Separately, Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien is to appear before the Housing Committee bringing regulations to extend the permission for restaurants to work as takeaways until the end of the year. The regulations will also scrap the current fees for street furniture for this year. Cafes and other businesses currently must pay a fee of €125.