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THE MINISTER FOR Health has said children at high risk of serious illness from Covid-19 will be prioritised in the next stage of the vaccine rollout.
Stephen Donnelly also said children won’t need to receive a Covid vaccine in order to return to school.
He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that such a move is “not on the cards and won’t be on the cards”.
He was speaking after it was announced that Covid vaccines will be made available to children aged between 12 and 15 years. It follows new advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC).
While a date for the commencement of these vaccinations wasn’t given, the Minister said it is expected to involve a combination of vaccine centres and GPs, and consist of the two mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna (Spikevax) and Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty).
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced in May that the Pfizer vaccine was safe and effective for use in people aged 12 and up, and that the benefits outweigh the risks.
A similar recommendation was made for Moderna’s vaccine last Friday.
An information campaign is set to be launched to ensure parents are fully informed about the safety and efficacy of Covid vaccines in children.
The Minister for Health also confirmed that booster shots for adults will be made available alongside the winter flu vaccination programme, to begin in September, for residents of long term care facilities, frontline healthcare workers, people aged 80 and over, and those who are immunocompromised.
“The biggest priority for me has been 12- to 15-year-olds with underlying conditions,” Donnelly said.
We’re obviously doing the planning now and poring over the NIAC advice, but I think it’s likely there will be a role for GPs, particularly where parents have a child with underlying conditions, they have a relationship with a GP, they’d like to talk to their GP.
“Parents will have some reasonable questions they’ll want to discuss.”
Donnelly added that 12- to 15-year-olds would be accompanied by an adult when receiving their vaccine.
The Minister also defended the government’s decision to offer vaccines to this age demographic, despite their comparatively low risk of serious illness, citing both the benefit of protecting adolescents from the impact of Long Covid as well as the benefits for the wider community.
As well as those with underlying conditions, children who live with or are in contact with people with underlying conditions are likely to be prioritised.
Under 12s
Donnelly said he did not anticipate a decision to be made on the rollout of Covid vaccines to children under the age of 12 this year. Any such move would first have to be approved by the European Medicines Agency.
Authorities in the United States expect approval to be granted ‘within months’ for administering vaccines to those aged under 12.
Donnelly added that he is examining how Ireland can play a “very strong role” internationally in the distribution of vaccines to low-income countries through programmes such as Covax and Gavi.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged rich countries to delay the vaccination of children and instead donate surplus vaccines for distribution to developing countries.
“I think it is absolutely ethical and right that we protect our own children, and that we protect our own community, but that’s not enough,” Donnelly said.
WHO previously advised that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is suitable for use in people aged 12 and above, showing high efficacy and safety, and that countries should consider vaccinating younger people – in particular those at high risk of serious illness - if a large proportion of other age groups are already vaccinated.
Covid vaccines are now available to everyone aged 16 and up in Ireland, with the HSE portal opening for those aged 16 and 17 yesterday. “Well in excess” of 10,000 people signed up within the first two hours, Donnelly said.
As of 27 July, 70.73% of Ireland’s adult population is now fully vaccinated, with 9.68% partially vaccinated.
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said that more than 50,000 doses were administered yesterday.
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Take note any Labour or Green voters who mistakenly believe they’re voting for left wing parties.
@Rochelle Hart: Why do supposedly left-wing parties support reducing the money DCC has to spend, by repeatedly reducing property tax?
That’s a populist policy, not a left policy. Greens + Labour are right to pull out of that BS.
@Michael Barry: Because they believe in housing as an essential right, not as assets to be taxed.
The property tax doesn’t serve as a wealth tax since it applies to even those in the most modest homes and since it’s beyond a council’s remit to remove the property tax, the best they can do is reduce the impact.
@Michael Barry: because many people on low incomes just happen to be in houses that have become valuable.
Do you propose taxing people out of their homes or having them live in unheated homes and all for big government to squander it on wasters and illegal immigrants
@Michael Barry: That is a bit of a red herring that labour included in their press statement. But there was no requirement in the progressive alliance to vote one way or another on the property tax. Socdems have consistently voted to have the maximum property tax within the +15 percent limit allowed. FG and FF have consistently voted to reduce it in the past. It’s unlikely that Labour can make them vote to increase it. That represents a very small part of the overall council budget (2% from the article I saw on Dublin Inquirer which has lots of detail). So the feeling was that pushing for a left alliance was the most important thing.
@David O’Reilly: and I think that the property tax should have some kind of means test. As people said above there are so many people with a fixed income who really struggle with that bill and they may just have a ginormously expensive house because of Ireland’s cyclical crackers property market. I hear it constantly when I’m talking to people in North Dublin anyway. Lots of people who can pay it without batting an eyelid though. It should be clear what they are getting for that though – like in the UK council tax is pretty big but you get your bins and lots of council services that are apparent like street cleaning etc.
That sounds like a solid coalition. I give it 3 months.
@honey badger: I’m sure they care that you give it anytime at all. At least they are trying to change things all you seem to do with your time is post dribble on here
@Ger Whelan: In fairness the lot of them would fall out with their own shadows…..3 months is very ootimistic!!
Great idea in principle. The only way to have real change is that all left leaning parties to come together to vote out fgff,
Labour and greens could be wiped out next election.
So they need to decide what side of history they want to be on.
Labour sold out and electorate don’t forget that. If they have any chance, they need to go back to their roots of supporting the ordinary workers.
Disgraceful Labour, they are at it all over again.
Propping up FF FG.
Refusing to enter left alliance in Dublin city Council.
You won’t see my vote ever again
@Niall Murphy: You don’t understand local politics if you think this is about “propping up FFG”
@Michael Barry: or that SF are left. All they are doing is bandwagoning. They’ll soon exhaust all possibilities.
@Alan: ” bandwagoning” excellent, even my predictive text couldn’t offer an alternative to that……I’ll use in discussion
They’ll be riding unicorns are the chamber in no time. Rainbows everywhere.
Well done Labour. Never get into bed with terrorists.
@Dave c: They already did that when they jumped into bed with FF. Its founding members were originally part of SF and the IRA and split to form their own political party and terrorist movement which caused the Civil war.
@Ger Whelan: That was different Sinn Fein party – learn your history
@Sean Hayes: Better tell them to Update their official website so. Because there it shows its history back to its founding in the early 1900′s.
@Ger Whelan: Everything was found in this country in the 1900s .
If the parties put themselves forward under a Progressive Alliance in the coming general election they could have a breakthrough chance.
@9QRixo8H: such a diverse groups of malcontents would never be able to agree a joint program nationally. Even Sinn Fein would be reluctant to try to form a government that included PBP. When the election comes, the left parties will split the vote as per usual. The old story, governments don’t win elections, the opposition lose them.
@9QRixo8H: Are you serious? They collectively would garner 8% of the vote, if even that in a GE.
This is another ” refurbishment ” of their failed policies, and claptrap .
I honestly thought you had an idea of this works based on your posts, its OK to promote something but to tie to this is farcical.
Exactly
Alliance? More like Axis.
It won’t last there b a falling out somewhere
Lunatics/asylum
Dublin City Council should be disbanded and the management of Fingal brought in to run things.
@Notty Tee: frying pan/fire. Fingal.is about as bad as it gets.
@Notty Tee: that’s hilarious
Labour costing up to FF on the councils
Amazing! Now do something about all the scroats ruining our city!!
Great, a Far Lazy alliance of doleheads to spend my tax money on the bone idle.
In France they’d be called le Front Populaire. When will they split?
The Left axis here is primarily driven by resentment. No one believes higher taxes results in better services. It just sucks money from the real economy. Small local businesses then need grants to survive. Higher taxation validated. The virtuous Left.
Does it really matter? Councillors have no power, all important decisions are made by the city manager. We don’t even get to vote for Lord Mayor the parties take turn enjoying that gig even if the chosen one is unfit for any office.
Any member of Labour is very welcome to join the Social Democrats.
have your say