Gino Kenny Demands Robust Tracking in COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

Minister, anybody that saw the images a number of days ago from Britain with Margaret Keenan being the first person in the world getting the vaccine for COVID-19 would have been heartened because it's been a very, very, very dark last nine months for everybody on the planet. So my question today is in relation to the rollout of the vaccine in relation to COVID-19, the logistics, the prioritisation of vulnerable groups, the role that GPs will play and the tracking system that we will need for this logistical difficult situation. Thanks. Thank you very much, Deputy, and I think we can all agree that it's a good week, and last week was a good week in terms of our fight against COVID as we look at the prioritisation of vaccines if and when they are okayed. The government's committed to a rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme as soon as suitable products have been authorised and supplies are available. A high-level task force was established to support and oversee the development and implementation of that programme. The task force is working on a national COVID-19 vaccination strategy and implementation plan, which I expect to be submitted to government tomorrow. Ireland's taking part in a procurement exercise being operated by the European Commission on behalf of member states to procure suitable, safe and effective vaccines in sufficient quantities. Ireland has opted into five advance purchase agreements with pharmaceutical companies and is in the process, and a process is in place to opt into a sixth. When we start receiving vaccines, we will have to prioritise who receives them first. This week I announced the vaccination allocation strategy for COVID-19 vaccines following sign-off by Cabinet on Tuesday. The strategy prioritises those over the age of 65 living in long-term care facilities, frontline healthcare workers who were in direct patient contact, and those aged 70 and over. The high-level task force is working intensively to ensure that all necessary elements are identified and addressed in the plans for implementation. Its work includes how the vaccine will be administered by whom and where. Planning for an ICT system is in train to enable all necessary aspects of an individual's vaccination history to be recorded. Further details will be included in the national vaccination strategy and implementation plan once approved by government. Minister Deputy. I understand, Minister, but you all understand that this will be a logistically challenging and enormous undertaking from our health service. And I think one thing that's very, very important is about tracking system of who gets the vaccine, because obviously there will be two vaccines. We spoke to a public health doctor recently, and she said that, you know, they will find it extremely challenging in relation to the resources that they have at the moment. They have less than one third of the resources and staffing that they need to roll out the vaccine. So there is enormous challenges in relation to the rollout. There's also another challenge in relation to fears that people may have, and some people in society will stoke that fear up. So we, as the Minister of Health and the government, need to allay them fears in relation to vaccine safety and the vaccine rollout. So that's very, very important, Minister, because what we don't want is certain elements stoking up fear in relation to the vaccine. Thanks, Deputy. Minister Conley. Thank you, Deputy. And I agree wholeheartedly with you. There's been a lot of work ongoing by the Department of Health and across government on a communications plan. We have a very strong record of vaccinations here in Ireland, and we will be rolling out a comprehensive plan. And really, Deputy, it's about listening to people's concerns. It's about taking their concerns seriously. It's about providing the experts, the medical experts, the scientific experts to be able to engage with people and address their concerns. And Ireland has a very good track record here. You'll remember the rollout of the HPV vaccine, a vaccine that's going to save many, many lives. Ireland had an uptake of 80% of that vaccine. The anti-vaccine movement rolled into town and rolled into town in many parts of Europe. An uptake of that vaccine, based largely on misinformation, fell from 80% to 50%. And I'm delighted to say that thanks to a huge amount of effort across Ireland and some very notable advocacy, that that uptake of the HPV vaccine went back from 50% right back up to 80%, which is going to save an awful lot of lives. Thanks, Minister. Deputy. Mr. Just in relation to, I know I keep going back to the logistics of this. What provision has been put in place or will be put in place? Obviously, there is vehicles in relation to the rollout, GP surgeries, primary care centres and so forth. But I know in Britain, they have made provision for kind of hubs, kind of, how would you call them, kind of portable hubs, where people can actually roll up and get the vaccine. So, is there any kind of initiatives that, you know, could be in place in relation to outside GP hours? Because what you don't want is GP services being overrun, which is not good for anybody. But is there any other provision for a portable rollout of this vaccine over the next three to six months? And particularly, sorry, Minister, particularly around vulnerable groups. I know you did state who is vulnerable. But health care workers, where do they come in that category? Thanks. Yes, sir. Thank you very much, Deputy. And I agree wholeheartedly. The prioritisation that has been, was announced, that was launched earlier this week and the implementation strategy are what the task force are calling living documents. And that's because how we roll them out and exactly who gets them when depends on a few things. It depends when the European Medicines Agency authorises them. It depends on information which is still to come from the regulatory process in terms of which vaccines are most suitable for different people. And it depends in part on the sequence of the vaccine. So take, for example, Pfizer. The first one the EMA is going to rule on, probably on the 29th of December, is the Pfizer vaccine. That has to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius. There are other vaccines, which we hope will be authorised. We'll have to wait and see. So for the Pfizer vaccine, GP surgeries and pharmacies, as an example, don't have those type of storage facilities. Therefore, there's a strategy being put in place whereby there, as you say, Deputy, there would be hubs and then there would be distribution from hubs where there's specialist storage. Some of the other vaccines, which just need to be refrigerated, can be distributed in a different way. So right now, we have no authorisation on any of the vaccines. But the implementation plan, which is being presented tomorrow, is an adaptable plan according to the information we get and the sequencing and the timing of when the various vaccines are authorised.