Daniel McConnell: The vaccine rollout has to work — we want our lives back

21 weeks ago, we entered a six-week lockdown and vaccines have been painted as the only route out 

The Taoiseach has said we are on the final stretch of this terrible journey, but because of poor decisions and bad government, we still have no idea how long that stretch will be.

At the end of October, amid mounting concern from public health doctors, Ireland entered the most extreme of level 5 restrictions on our personal freedoms.

We were told it would be for six weeks.

That was 21 weeks ago, and apart for a three-week reprieve which, as we know, didn’t work out too well, we have remained in level 5.

But, for a large part, it has been a cosmetic lockdown, a fake lockdown.

People’s movements about the place have been greater, more people have been socialising, more people have been gathering where they were not supposed to be. The 5km travel limit had become a sad joke with compliance clearly under strain.

Which has begged the question — what the hell are we playing at?

The World Health Organization’s Dr Mike Ryan, a man not to be easily dismissed, said the value of lockdowns as we have seen in Ireland are limited. They are a short-term means of taking the pressure off a hospital system.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin addressing the nation at Government Buildings in Dublin. Picture: Julien Behal Photography/PA Wire

But, in contrast to the shocking surge in January, our hospital system is not under acute pressure anymore. So, the basis of lockdown, which was already dubious, is now being made redundant.

We have also had a woefully slow vaccine rollout which has been riddled with mistakes and delays.

We have repeatedly been told that the vaccine is the silver bullet to deliver us to freedom and Taoiseach Micheál Martin has hitched his legacy to its successful rollout.

Welcome first step

This new plan is a welcome first step back towards normality.

In his speech, Mr Martin spoke of a massive ramping up of vaccine supply and delivery in the coming weeks which, he says, will see “close to 3m doses administered by the end of May, nearly 5m doses by early July, and 6m doses by the end of July.”

But just how will this highly ambitious target be met?

It is a commitment based on a delivery target of 250,000 vaccinations a week from this week on.

We know pharmacists were to contribute 50,000 per week to that figure but as Barry Lenihan reported on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, pharmacists have yet to formally commit.

HSE boss Paul Reid has said he doesn't now expect pharmacists to contribute in April.

We had also been told that the HSE was to employ 2,600 outside vaccinators, but to date only 500 contracts have been signed, according to RTÉ.

What impact?

What sort of impact will that have on the delivery of the vaccine?

If shortfalls occur in April, it follows that more than 250,000 vaccines will need to be done per week if the stated targets are to be met.

Failure to deliver the vaccines undermines the basis of the Government’s reopening of the country and the recent experience of ever-changing deadlines and goalposts does not inspire confidence.

We desperately want our lives back, we want our country back.

Not parts of it. All of it. Our theatres, our pubs, our sporting fields, our music venues.

Some people have paid the ultimate price for having to deal with Covid-19 and all of us have endured so much.

The Taoiseach has said we are on the final stretch of this terrible journey, but because of poor decisions and bad government, we still have no idea how long that stretch will be.