Alan Kelly
Question:1. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Covid-19 last met; and when it will next meet. [27893/21]
View answerWednesday, 16 June 2021
Questions (1, 2, 3)
Cathal Crowe
Question:2. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Covid-19 last met; and when the next meeting is planned. [29524/21]
View answer
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:3. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Covid-19 will next meet. [30926/21]
View answerOral answers (12 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on Covid-19 was re-established by Government on 29 June 2020 to continue to assess the social and economic impacts of the potential spread of Covid-19 and oversee the cross-government response. The committee met most recently on Thursday, 27 May. The date of the next meeting has not been set.
Our overall approach to the management of the pandemic continues to be one that is cautious and sustainable over the immediate, medium and longer term. Any easing of measures has been gradual with sufficient time between phases to assess impact and to respond if the epidemiological situation was to deteriorate.
We are mindful of the risks as we move forward. We have to monitor closely the issue of dangerous new variants, especially the Delta variant and the impact it has on the spread of the virus. In light of this, yesterday the Government agreed to enhanced quarantine arrangements for passengers not fully vaccinated arriving from Great Britain.
In making recent decisions on next steps, the Government weighed a number of considerations, including the progress achieved in managing the spread of the disease, the impact of the vaccination programme and the need to continue responsibly reopening our society and economy. When we open a sector of our society or economy, we want it to stay open. Our plan is working and we are now in the early stages of the recovery phase of the pandemic.
In late May, the Government decided to move ahead with the next stage of reopening the economy and society in line with our national strategy, Resilience and Recovery: The Path Ahead. The decision was based on public health advice that a cautious and phased reopening can continue, with a continuing emphasis on outdoor activity, and sufficient time between phases to assess the impact and ensure that progress in controlling the virus is maintained. The advice at the time was that the measures were of low to medium risk.
The most recent announcement included the lifting of a number of public health restrictions during June as well as setting out plans for further easing of measures over the summer, subject to prevailing public health advice.
In early June, accommodation services, such as hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation, reopened to the general public. Last week, cinemas and theatres reopened and outdoor services resumed in restaurants and bars.
Increased numbers are now permitted at outdoor organised events, one unvaccinated household can visit one other unvaccinated household, sports matches can be held and gyms, pools and leisure centres can reopen for individual exercise. Selected sport and cultural pilot live events are taking place in June to assess protective measures and test the logistical arrangements for further reopening. Subject to the prevailing disease situation, July will see a return to indoor dining, the resumption of certain indoor activities and increased numbers permitted to attend events.
From 19 July, subject to the prevailing public health situation, Ireland will operate the EU digital Covid certificate for travel originating within the European Union-EEA area. Subject to continued progress, further easing of restrictions will be considered for August, including an increase in the numbers permitted to gather and attend events, both outdoor and indoor.
I will raise three issues. First, in relation to the Delta variant, I welcome what Mr. Paul Reid communicated in the HSE update yesterday. With regard to the AstraZeneca vaccine, an issue I have been raising for weeks, ongoing communication is needed and the commitment needs to be honoured by 19 July. Have studies been commissioned or has the Government received a briefing on the efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against the Delta variant? That is an honest question. Does the Taoiseach have any information on this matter because I have not seen any and I follow it intensely? A Public Health England study, which only looked at AstraZeneca, found that the first dose is only 33% effective against the Delta variant. Another study this week showed that Pfizer and AstraZeneca are highly effective after two doses but there do not appear to be any studies on the Janssen vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. Will the Taoiseach ask the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, and National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, to look at this?
Second, the Irish Wheelchair Association has raised issues with regard to accessibility in cities and towns. There are good developments as regards outdoor dining and facilitating people but providing toilet facilities and access is a real issue.
Finally, I ask the Taoiseach to consider the provision of grants for community halls that have been closed due to Covid. While some groups have been funded - the Nenagh Musical Academy, for instance, received good funding for an outdoor performance - the halls in which many are based have no income. Once-off small grants to local authorities to allow them to keep these community halls with tenants going for the next six months would be appreciated. They are doing their best but their fixed costs are not being covered.
I also raise an issue in relation to the AstraZeneca vaccine. We cannot deny that there is a high level of concern among people in their 60s and those with underlying health conditions who have received their first dose of AstraZeneca. The first concern relates to the length of the interval between doses but a second concern relates to the efficacy of the vaccine in respect of the Delta variant.
Things have changed since we got more information about the Delta variant. We know now that, even with two doses, AstraZeneca only gives protection of up to 60% with respect to transmissibility. While another study has been done on the risk of hospitalisation, in relation to transmissibility, AstraZeneca only gives protection of 60% compared with the 88% protection Pfizer gives. When I asked the Minister a few weeks ago if he would consider mixing and matching, his response was that he could not do that because all of the existing vaccines had been committed. There was, therefore, a logistical reason for that. Since then, NIAC has stated it has not yet finished studying the mixing of vaccine doses but that the early indications are very encouraging. Professor Luke O'Neill has strongly supported this approach. Professor Kingston Mills made a very strong epidemiological case yesterday for why we should take that approach. Five other European countries are doing it. Will the Taoiseach give consideration to this now, especially in light of Paul Reid's statement this morning that supply lines have improved?
We need to protect people on the basis of risk. The older a person is, the more likely he or she is to have underlying health conditions and the more likely he or she is to be at risk of contracting the virus. Will the Taoiseach give consideration to this matter?
The Taoiseach has taken a number of big gambles in the management of the Covid pandemic. The biggest was the decision to reopen at the end of November last year. To put it mildly, those gambles did not pay off. The Taoiseach is taking another big gamble now in relation to the Delta variant. We hope that gamble pays off and we are able to achieve sufficient levels of full vaccination, in particular of vulnerable groups, before the Delta variant becomes dominant here. If, however, the gamble not to introduce mandatory hotel quarantine for those coming from England, Scotland and Wales does not pay off, we will be in a crisis and there will be negative consequences for people's health and long Covid and there will be extra unnecessary deaths. We will also be in a position where not only will the reopening of indoor dining and pubs scheduled for the start of July have to be delayed but other measures may have to be reversed. Obviously, nobody wants to be in that situation but if we are, will the Taoiseach take responsibility for the decision he has made and will he own up to it at that point? It will be difficult to convince people that we need another lockdown to stop the Delta variant but that is, unfortunately, the position we might be in four, five or six weeks from now if the Delta variant becomes dominant. The reason for that will be that we did not do what we could have done at this point to try to slow its spread.
I return to the maternity hospital restrictions on partners, which are still in place in many hospitals despite the fact that the Taoiseach, Chief Medical Officer and Minister for Health have all stated they should be lifted and the HSE has issued a circular on the matter. The Taoiseach will have heard Deputies today speak about experiences in Mullingar and Limerick. Let me add another. A colleague of mine drove his wife, who is 36 weeks' pregnant, to the Coombe. She was sick with pains, vomiting, headaches, dehydration and very distressed. He was not allowed to be with her. These experiences are happening right across the State. I raised this with the Taoiseach previously. Last month, he told me he would talk to the CEO of the HSE to ensure the HSE circular was being applied. It is not being applied at countless locations. Will the Taoiseach now engage directly with the CEO of each hospital group to ensure every maternity hospital and unit lifts these restrictions now? A hands-off or an arm's-length approach to this matter has not worked.
On Deputy Kelly's questions, I will check in relation to Janssen. I have not seen research either in respect of the Janssen vaccine and its efficacy in protecting against the Delta variant. Unfortunately, the situation with Janssen supply has been very difficult in terms of the vaccines being in a plant in America and not being freed up. That has significantly impacted on supplies to this country in respect of Janssen, as the House will be aware.
In respect of the Irish Wheelchair Association, Deputy Kelly is correct and I will certainly follow up on the matter. Particularly from a local authority perspective, there should be proactive provision in terms of access to outdoor facilities, dining facilities and so forth.
With regard to community halls, there is an enhanced community grant scheme. We provided €5 million recently to augment €2 million that had been provided already to support and enhance community-based facilities during Covid-19.
That is available and we will see what can be done.
The criteria are tight.
I will see what I can do to relax the criteria. We did not ask that they be that tight. We want to support community facilities because communities have been very good during Covid-19. They have been very effective in helping the State's efforts and society's efforts to deal with Covid-19. When we allocated the funding, we did not want the criteria to be too tight. Obviously, the funding has to meet the needs of communities and meet clearly defined objectives. I will follow up on that matter.
Regarding Deputy Shortall's comments, according to a public health study yesterday, AstraZeneca is 92% effective against hospitalisation. That is a key metric and an important point.
Not against transmissibility.
I know, but a 92% effectiveness against hospitalisation is an important point. It was an important piece of research that deserves to be highlighted. That is the point I am making. Also, NIAC has not recommended the mixing of vaccines. By the middle of July, we will be down to only two vaccines - Moderna and Pfizer. That is where we will be once we have completed the second dosage of AstraZeneca. NIAC's Professor Karina Butler yesterday was very clear that people should accept the vaccines that they are offered. We will be in a position to complete the second dosage of the AstraZeneca programme by the middle of July. For the remainder of the programme, we need to get as many people as protected as we possibly can. That is important, too. In terms of the supply of vaccines, June will be the month with the highest supply that we will have. It is important to get as large a number as we possibly can vaccinated. As a country, we are at the top in Europe in terms of participation rates across the age cohorts, which is an important and significant point. This is giving us added protection as a society.
We can all comment and we can all have individual perspectives, but we have to go through the processes and various channels as the advices come through. What the Deputy is advocating is a very significant step. Equally, every time we chop and change, it can potentially affect uptake. That is a problem. We want to maintain our very high performance in relation to participation rates and the uptake of vaccines. The age cohort approach has worked. We go down through the age cohorts and people wait to get their vaccines and then avail of them. That is where we are right now.
The HSE has announced that it can bring forward the AstraZeneca programme - that is good news - and that, by mid-July, everyone will have his or her second dose. That will give very strong protection. I am one of those who have taken the AstraZeneca vaccine and I am quite prepared to wait my turn for the second dose.
As a society, if we keep pushing this out, we can get to very good levels of overall societal protection by the end of July, which will then hopefully be a strong bulwark against variants. I think we will need boosters later on in the year or early next year. It will depend. I think our older age cohorts will need booster vaccines, but NIAC has said that the length of time that immunity lasts is longer. That is good news as well. We will then have to look at young people and children in the autumn. NIAC is examining that following authorisations that have been given to the companies in respect of children and young people. Along with the European Union, we have entered into pre-purchase agreements for mRNA vaccines throughout 2021 and 2022.
Regarding Deputy Paul Murphy, I do not take gambles on this. He should not personalise it to the degree that he seems intent on doing. We took advice to move to level 3 in November, we moved to level 3 and there was no modelling in terms of the scale of the third wave or the Alpha variant, B.1.1.7. We are not taking gambles in relation to the Delta variant. We have taken on board the public health advice in respect of the reopening of society. We were advised at the most recent meeting that there was low to medium risk in terms of the opening up of internal hospitality in early July and travel on 19 July. We will keep this under review. So far, the last seven days have been better than the previous seven days, but we are still keeping this under review. We are not taking anything for granted. We are conscious of the risks.
Taoiseach, we need to move on. I am afraid we are out of time. We need to go to Question No. 4.
On the maternity issue, I have spoken to the chief executive officer of the HSE. The HSE runs its organisation and the CEO and his management team deal and work with the hospitals across the country in terms of the clinical guidance that has issued from the HSE. That is the proper way for it to happen. I will engage again with the HSE in respect of comments that have been made in the House today.