Taoiseach: Vaccine rollout 'is not in trouble'

Micheál Martin insists the 'system is working', as 46,000 extra Pfizer vaccine doses for Ireland were confirmed

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in relation to the Irish vaccine programme, “95% of what we get, we give out within a week”. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has rejected opposition criticism over delays to the vaccine rollout, saying the “system is working”, as 46,000 extra vaccines for Ireland were confirmed.

Responding to claims that Ireland has not sought to seek additional vaccines on top of our European allocation, Mr Martin told the Dáil the Government has taken on all Ireland's full offerings from the European Union in the pre-purchase agreements in respect of the companies that have so far been authorised – Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

He told TDs that AstraZeneca had fallen very significantly short of its contractual commitments to Europe.

He said: “We approached Pfizer. I approached Pfizer here in Ireland. I made it clear to the Pfizer corporation that Ireland would be willing to support in any way, any reconfiguration of any plant in Ireland to generate additional vaccine production. Most of the pharmaceutical companies in Ireland are involved in the production of very valuable medicines, and indeed vaccines, for use elsewhere in respect of different diseases globally.”

He said in relation to the Irish vaccine programme, “95% of what we get, we give out within a week”.

That is not a vaccine programme in trouble. There is a broader global supply issue. 

"As I said earlier, the big three vaccine producers are China, Europe and the United States. They will remain the key vaccine producers and manufacturers right through and beyond the summer,” he said.

Micheál Martin told TDs that AstraZeneca had fallen very significantly short of its contractual commitments to Europe.

During Leaders’ Questions, Mr Martin sought to quell rising expectations of an early release from level 5 restrictions in light of falling case numbers.

I caution that we are by no means out of this pandemic. Already, I detect that people are getting a sense that because the numbers are coming down we are somehow emerging out of it immediately or something similar."

"The hospital numbers are still higher than they were at the peak of the second wave. The variant is the big problem. Community transmission is still at 11% to 15%, which is high," the Taoiseach told Independent TD Denis Naughten.

The Taoiseach said close contacts and the spread of the disease are much more prevalent now. It is more transmissible because of the presence of the B117 variant. 

“We cannot lose sight of that because if we let this go the virus will continue. We must be very careful. We are making very good progress against the pandemic in terms of the strategy of getting the numbers down, especially the hospital numbers. They are coming down. 

"Remarkably, the vaccination impact has been extraordinary in hospital and nursing home settings, but we must stick with it, especially in the coming weeks, to get the numbers further down,” he said.

Labour leader Alan Kelly was deeply critical of the pace of the vaccine rollout.

He said: “It is fair to say the European Commission has not covered itself in glory with the vaccine rollout. I note from his earlier reply, the Taoiseach said the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, texted him on the new amount of vaccines coming to Ireland, which is a pretty small amount considering the losses we have had over the past number of weeks and the lack of vaccines that were meant to be delivered originally.”