Excess Covid-19 vaccines may be unavoidable, says Stephen Donnelly

Nurse Maeve O'Sullivan waiting for her next candidate at Clonakilty Covid-19 vaccination centre at Clonakilty GAA Sports Complex. Picture: Brian Lougheed

Advice on loosening restrictions around which vaccines can be administered to different age cohorts will be given this week, with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly saying that an excess of some vaccines may be unavoidable.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) will this week report to Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan on whether age restrictions for the use of the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines should be eased.

German authorities on Friday said that AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine could be administered to adults of all ages and it is understood that this move is being taken into account by NIAC.

However, Mr Donnelly told RTÉ Radio One's This Week programme on Sunday that a situation where Ireland ends up with more age-restricted vaccines than age-appropriate people wanting them may happen in the coming months.

"We're going to have an excess of vaccines anyway and there's a broader conversation about what we do with them," said Mr Donnelly.

Cork vaccination hubs

Meanwhile, a HSE spokesperson said that centres in Cork were working "as quickly as possible" and that any differences between the city and county in the age cohorts being vaccinated had to take into account the different uses of vaccination hubs.

Local reports in recent days have said that centres in Clonakilty and Bantry, West Cork, were still vaccinating people in their mid-60s, while in the city those aged 60 are being called for their jabs.

"The vaccination centres across Cork were opened on a phased basis, and all vaccination centres in Cork City and county are now fully operational," said a HSE spokesperson. 

"Mallow vaccination centre began vaccinating people who had self-registered on Thursday, April 28; the Bantry hub of the West Cork vaccination centre began appointments for those in the 65-plus age group on April 27; and the Clonakilty hub of the West Cork vaccination centre started appointments on Monday, May 3.

All centres are working their way through appointments by age as quickly, efficiently, and as safely as possible. 

"The Mallow centre is open seven days a week, and the West Cork centre is currently open six days a week. 

"Appointments will be offered to those who have registered as soon as possible, and the teams at each vaccination centre will make every effort to work through the age groups who have registered as quickly as they can.

"We should point out that some vaccination centres are also used to vaccinate people from cohort 4 and cohort 7. Our teams are also administering vaccinations in disability services and mental health services, and the vaccination programme for healthcare workers also continues."

Tim Lombard, the Fine Gael senator based in Kinsale, said he had heard of the age differences in those being vaccinated and said that efforts need to be redoubled.

"From what I'm hearing on the ground, the West Cork centres are a couple of years in cohort terms behind the city centres," said Mr Lombard.

"I wonder do we need to redouble resources, particularly in Bantry, to bring them to par for a few reasons, particularly that the demographic is older in West Cork. It's also a bit of an urban-rural divide. There's a fear that the city could be getting more resources. That comes down to access to equality and treatment."