Mattie McGrath demands review of HSE vaccine priority list
Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Tanaiste for an immediate review of the HSE priority list for the vaccination programme, citing inconsistencies between the HSE guide to vulnerable people and the vaccine prioritisation. He highlighted people with cystic fibrosis, family carers, home helps and privately organised 24-7 carers as examples of those he believes have been inconsistently categorised or omitted.
Request for immediate review
Mattie McGrath pressed for an urgent reassessment of the HSE priority list, saying there are "huge inconsistencies" with the HSE's own guide on vulnerable and very seriously vulnerable people and asking that the list be reviewed immediately.
Case example cited
He described a woman, Valerie, who has 24-7 care organised privately by her family following a serious accident. McGrath said Valerie has five full-time carers and that there are serious concerns if any of those carers were to fall ill, leaving no one to provide necessary care.
Vulnerable groups named
The deputy specifically raised cystic fibrosis patients, family carers, home helps and private carers as groups of concern, saying these people are regarded as very vulnerable by the HSE yet do not appear consistently on the vaccination priority list.
Government reply and prioritisation process
The Tanaiste responded that prioritisation is done by the National Immunisation Advisory Council (NIAC) and is signed off by NPHET, and that it is based on medical need and medical risk. He stated that residents in nursing homes are to be vaccinated first, followed by healthcare workers, then over-70s.
Timeline and review point
The Tanaiste said over-70s are hoped to begin receiving vaccines next month and that by the end of March the aim is to have about a million people fully vaccinated and about 400,000 having had at least a first dose. He suggested that once nursing home residents, healthcare workers and over-70s have been covered, NIAC might review the prioritisation order.
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Tanaiste, I want to ask, could we have an immediate review of the HSE priority list for vaccination programme, because there are a number of inconsistencies with the HSE's own guide of vulnerable people, and very seriously vulnerable people, cystic fibrosis, family carers, you know, and indeed home helps, but I have a situation temporarily also of Valerie, a wonderful young woman who had a terrible accident some years ago, and has 24-7 care, which she organises herself and her parents do for her, in a private capacity, out of an award she got from the HSE, after a devastating accident, she has five carers full-time, and two, I've been there a few times to see her, and they're very worried in case, you know, they can't, anything happens to any of the carers go down, because there's nobody to care for, the private person, implying these people, paid PSI, and everything else, and also the COVID, sorry, the CS patients, are hugely concerned, because we know how vulnerable they are, and they're regarded as being very vulnerable by the HSE in one list, and in the vaccination list, they're not, so there's huge inconsistencies there, could you please have it reviewed, immediately. Thanks very much, Deputy, the prioritisation is done by the National Immunisation Advisory Council, and also signed off by NPHET, it is based on medical need and medical risk, with those most at risk of getting sick and dying, being vaccinated first, that's residents in nursing homes, and those most at risk of contracting it, getting it second, and that's, of course, of course, healthcare workers, we will then move on to the over 70s, and we hope to start vaccinating them next, next month, and by the end of March, to have about a million people having had their vaccine, both doses, and about 400,000 or so, at least having had their first dose, and that would be the healthcare workers, nursing home residents and staff, and the over 70s. I think perhaps at that point, when we have those three groups done, then that might be the time for NIAC to review and look at the prioritisation order again, but I don't think anyone can doubt that those three groups are the ones that need to get it first. There's some moving.
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