Róisín Shortall
Question:1581. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the population size for each cohort that is named in the provisional vaccine allocation groups list. [14736/21]
View answerWednesday, 24 March 2021
Questions (1581)
Written answers
On the 23rd of February 2021, the Minister for Health announced an update to Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy.
In comprising the initial Vaccine Allocation Strategy, the National Immunisation and Advisory Committee (NIAC) listed several conditions associated with increased risk of severe disease and death. In the intervening period, national and international evidence has become available which has enabled a more detailed analysis of underlying conditions that may increase the risk of developing severe disease or death.
The NIAC has now been able to more comprehensively identify those medical conditions and to distinguish between those which place a person at very high or high risk of severe disease if they contract the virus. Medical conditions and the magnitude of the risk they pose will continue to be monitored and periodically reviewed.
The NIAC continues to monitor data around this disease and indeed emerging data on effectiveness of vaccines on a rolling basis. Further details are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/b44b2-minister-donnelly-announces-update-to-vaccine-allocation-strategy/
The next cohort to be vaccinated (Cohort 4) are those aged 16-69 and at very high risk of severe illness and death. Vaccination of this group began in March. Work is continuing on the stratification of subsequent groups and assessing the number of people encompassed by each group.