Irish citizens appealed for leniency after taking vaccines not approved in EU

THE Department of Foreign Affairs received more than 160 representations from Irish citizens who had been given Covid-19 vaccines that were not approved in the EU, leaving them faced with mandatory hotel quarantine if returning home.

THE Department of Foreign Affairs received more than 160 representations from Irish citizens who had been given Covid-19 vaccines that were not approved in the EU, leaving them faced with mandatory hotel quarantine if returning home.

More than forty people sent emails to the department’s consular feedback email channel looking for clarity on what they should do.

Another 119 pieces of correspondence had been received by Minister Simon Coveney and his junior minister colleague Colm Brophy by the end of June, according to records released under FOI.

A sample of the correspondence includes a letter from a large community of Irish people in Abu Dhabi who had been given the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine.

An email said: “Many of us were unsure if we should take it or not … [but] this was the only vaccine available … at the time. Hundreds of us proceeded to take the Sinopharm vaccine thinking it was the correct thing to do.” 

The correspondence said that while the Sinopharm vaccine may not have shown the effectiveness of the Pfizer jab, it was still working considerably better than the seasonal flu vaccine.

The email added: “After contacting the health authorities … we have been advised we cannot get the Pfizer vaccine as we have already been vaccinated and that is visible to the authorities via our Emirates ID.” 

Anomalous position

The group pleaded with the minister to do something about their “anomalous position” saying they should not be forced to undertake mandatory hotel quarantine on return to Ireland.

Another wrote of having not been home since December 2019 and significant pressure from the UAE authorities to take the Sinopharm vaccine.

Their email said: “I feel I have done everything that was advised of us, and now it seems Ireland are picking and choosing vaccines.” 

One Irish citizen, also based in the UAE, said it was unfair to face two weeks of “expensive hotel quarantine costs” when fully vaccinated.

Their message said: “I really hope that it will be possible for this mandatory hotel quarantine policy to be revised for WHO [World Health Organisation] approved Sinopharm vaccinated individuals.” 

Another said they simply could not afford the €1,875 cost of hotel quarantine describing it as a “colossal amount of money”.

“It saddens me as I feel victimised for doing the right thing, for leading the way and being pro-vaccination. I don't want to go into hotel quarantine when I have an empty house in Ireland waiting for me,” they wrote.

Minister of State Colm Brophy also raised the plight of Irish citizens with non-approved vaccines in a letter to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.

He said: “As we move towards the rollout of the EU Digital Covid Certificate I feel we need to expand the definition of a fully vaccinated person to include all WHO-approved Covid-19 Vaccines.” 

The Department of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for a comment.

An information note accompanying the FOI records said: “As vaccination remains the policy responsibility of the Department of Health, it should be noted that 118 of the 119 representations received via the offices of were transferred to the Minister for Health for his attention.

“All of the 43 queries received via the consular feedback email received replies with available information where appropriate and/or were advised to contact the Department of Health for information regarding non-EMA approved vaccines.”