Covid-19 vaccine booster campaign will go ahead Taoiseach says

The Government has received the go ahead for a Covid-19 vaccine booster campaign for immunosuppressed people, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said, with third doses also likely to be given to nursing homes residents and the over 70s “subject to advice”.

The EU had already taken a decision on booster vaccines and ordered “hundreds of millions of vaccines” which would provide supplies well into next year, he told RTÉ radio’s News at One.

Mr Martin said public health officials were awaiting the outcomes of studies about the best timeline for providing booster vaccines.

“We will wait for Niac advice. We have already got the go ahead for the immunosuppressed.”

When asked about the World Health Organisation’s position on sharing vaccines with poorer countries before commencing booster campaigns, Mr Martin said the EU had been sharing and helping with the infrastructure and technology needed for third world countries to produce their own vaccines.

The booster campaign would focus initially on the vulnerable and immunocompromised, he said. “Our first duty is to protect our people, but we know if we don’t vaccinate the world we are open to mutations.”

Health worker bonus

Mr Martin also said a mooted bonus for frontline workers in recognition of their contribution during the pandemic would happen and that additional funding would be provided for such a payment, which would not come from the HSE’s budget.

“The frontline workers in our health system have performed magnificently, and indeed many public servants, we are looking at how we can provide for this,” he said, adding that he was hopeful a decision on this could be reached in the coming weeks.

When asked about the future of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), Mr Martin said its functions would be “transitioned” into Government departments over time.

One of the lessons learned from the pandemic was the significance of the field of public health, which had led to a doubling of funding and the allocation of 150 posts including the establishment of public health consultant posts, he added.

However, Mr Martin said Nphet would not continue in its present format and would cease to be a separate body. Its members were public servants and they would continue in public service and would be streamlined into the mainstream of Government, he said.

“We have to learn lessons from this pandemic,” the Taoiseach said.

Pandemic inquiry

Mr Martin said that it would be important to have an evaluation of the response of the Government to the pandemic, not an inquiry. The word inquiry suggested that someone was “out to get people”.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly earlier said there was no specific measure or statistic that would cause the Government to pause or reverse the easing of restrictions, as public transport returned to full capacity.

The Coalition on Tuesday published a plan that would see almost all of the remaining Covid-19 restrictions removed by October 22nd.

Mr Donnelly said he hoped there would be no return to lockdowns, but acknowledged that the next stages of the pandemic would be hard to predict.

“There’s one thing we know about this virus though, it has torn up global plans many times,” he said. “The two big concerns I have are the rates on the variant we’re dealing with right now and I’m particularly conscious of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now. And secondly, a new variant and because of that it’s impossible to be 100 per cent certain.”

Outbreak data

He said the Government would be closely monitoring data on outbreaks in schools and colleges, as well as the numbers of people admitted to hospital and intensive care.

Mr Donnelly said the return to full capacity public transport from today was not “about the science” and was not a “public health recommendation”.

“It’s something that Minister Ryan was very keen could be facilitated. We do want to get people moving around the country. The current restrictions had been putting a lot of pressure on public transport.”

He told RTÉ radio that it was “unlikely” that capacity at Croke Park would be significantly increased for the All-Ireland senior football final on September 11th. Currently, 40,000 people are set to attend the clash between Mayo and Tyrone later this month.

Under the plans confirmed on Tuesday, 75 per cent of capacity will be available for vaccinated individuals at outdoor events. That would mean more than 60,000 people would be allowed into the stadium.

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