Vaccination Programme

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020

Thursday, 10 December 2020

Questions (136)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

136. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the way in which the Covid-19 vaccine will be rolled out across the country; if a new database will be developed to ensure a professional tracking system for both shots of the vaccine; if the programme will be rolled out by the public health regions; the role general practitioners will play in this roll-out; if there will be a prioritisation of vulnerable groups; if so, the order of this prioritisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42366/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Government is committed to the timely implementation of a COVID-19 immunisation programme, as soon as one or more vaccines in the EU portfolio are approved for use.  In this regard a High-Level Taskforce was established to support and oversee the development and implementation of the programme.

The Taskforce is supporting my Department and the HSE in developing a national COVID-19 vaccination strategy and implementation plan which it is due to be submitted by Friday, 11 December.   I will then bring the plan to Government for consideration and subject to the outcome of this discussion, it is the intention that the Vaccination Strategy and Implementation Plan will be published.

As part of the implementation planning, the HSE is currently arranging for an ICT system to be put in place to deal with the uniqueness of a vaccination plan of this scale.

On the 8 December 2020 the Government agreed and published a COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy that sets out a provisional priority list of groups for vaccination once a safe and effective vaccine(s) has received authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).