Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
FAMILY CARERS HAVE said the government is ignoring them and the role they play in society after changes to the vaccination priority list announced yesterday failed to include any mention of which phase these carers should be included in.
Yesterday evening the government confirmed that those aged 16-69 with very high-risk medical conditions will be moved up from the seventh to the fourth cohort. This is the next group to be vaccinated after those aged 70, which is currently in progress.
While the news has been welcomed, the announcement lacked any clarity on when family carers would be vaccinated, despite a request by the government for the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) to look at that cohort’s place on the list.
Family Carers Ireland has said carers were “devastated at being ignored again”. Catherine Cox, Head of Communications and Policy questioned what message the government intended to sent out about how much it values the work carers do.
“The programme for Government clearly states ‘Family carers are the backbone of care provision in Ireland. They deserve support and recognition from government’,” she said.
Sadly actions speak louder than words and today our government has failed family carers. We need family carers included as a priority group for vaccinations now because Carers can’t wait.
Speaking earlier today, chairperson of NIAC Professor Karina Butler said others who are potentially more vulnerable would have to be pushed down the list if carers were bumped up. She also pointed out that many of the family members they are caring for will either receive their vaccine in the current phase or with the next cohort now that high-risk groups have been moved up.
This has been of little comfort to families like the Nolans, whose three-year-old son Ollie has Type 1 diabetes and requires specific and dedicated care to avoid serious illness. Due to Ollie’s age, he cannot receive a vaccination at any phase of the programme as none of the approved vaccines have been deemed suitable for young children.
His father David, who left his civil service job to care for Ollie, told TheJournal.ie that he was “heartbroken” not to have received better news yesterday.
Nolan said he has never requested to be moved up the list above vulnerable people, but he is seeking clarity about whether he could be included in one of the key or essential worker cohorts as currently he is in the very last group.
“Carers want people who need it most to get the vaccines because we care for them. I’m not saying I want to be vaccinated before the vulnerable groups, but I don’t want to be last and I want to know where exactly family carers fit on that list, because other workers are higher up.
There are workers in supermarkets and bookies who will probably get vaccinated before me, people in the entertainment industry. If I had stayed in my civil service job I’d have been deemed more important.
I took myself out of a higher category when I left me job to become his carer. It would be very simple to say ‘carers are important, we will vaccinate them in category X’. I would have been happy to have the acknowledgement of the fact that paid carers and unpaid carers do the same work. I just want to know where we fit.
Nolan said he is concerned about the potential impact of Covid-19 on his son’s heath if the virus made its way into their home. Last year Ollie was hospitalised with a head cold because his blood sugar became so erratic.
The toddler’s parents are also concerned about what would happen if they became ill with the disease themselves and could no longer provide the very dedicated care their son needs.
“My daughter goes back to school next week. If the virus is brought back into the house and we get sick, his care is under threat,” Nolan said. He said that while outcomes of diabetes are good, the input is complicated and carers need to give it their full attention.
“If I miss ten grams of carbs in his meal and don’t adjust for it he’s at risk of a hypoglycemic coma. Every meal and every dose I give him has to be micromanaged and calculated.
The government has no contingency plan for what happens if a person’s carer gets sick. Now if we get sick with it, we can’t have people coming in here to care for Ollie in case they get infected. I couldn’t put my mother at risk. And the HSE isn’t going to send a carer into a house that has an outbreak.
Nolan said he feels let down by the government.
“I feel lower than dirt because I’m not worth being part of the conversation about the vaccine. I’m gutted.
“The government knows we do this out of love and that we’ll never stop, so they don’t have to do anything for us. They know, no matter what, we’ll keep going and so they can take us for granted. It’s hurtful.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Do the journal not question this? stay at home parents are in exactly the same position as every other low risk person, the bulk of society in group 15. This essentially low risk chap would not reduce the risk to the potentially riskier children by getting the vaccine ahead of, say, people aged 54 to 65. Everything in the group definition has the ethics and rationale firmly there – no-one was left behind or forgot about, and no one gets to jump the queue because of a self perceived priority.
Everyone will get there turn – patience.
@Brynþór Patrekursson: are you for real? He might not be at risk, but his son certainly is. He’s a carer and historically, this segment of society have always been treated appallingly by government. He’s not looking to jump the queue for no good reason. There’s a child who needs him to jump the queue. Anyone with a semi functioning brain could tell you that.
@Adrian O’Donnell: Stop being irrational – this charity could have used others examples, but the majority of cases (like older children with diabetes) where they the people being cared for actually are on the priority list. By your argument, every parent – especially single parents – of young children should be bumped as they have a child that need them. He can have mine, but he shouldn’t get it before 60 year olds or people with obesity who can actually die from this.
@Brynþór Patrekursson: PS: By mine, I meant my vaccine, not children – he’s enough on his plate!
@Brynþór Patrekursson: no, not every parent, single or otherwise. Only carers or those with underlying issues. I would also include teachers jumping the queue. Not sure where the problem is with that?
@Adrian O’Donnell: Primarily because it’s based on risk – it’s a big list, and I wouldn’t disagree with anyone before me. In the same way supermarket workers have actually been impacted, I would include all retail workers. Teachers have been going out of their way to say they are not at risk and there hasn’t been clusters in teachers taking sick leave, and kids don’t pass it to them, so it will be their own individual circumstances (but the demographic of teachers is in the low risk category anyway). There should be no need – the important people would be the elderly that are going to be looking after the kids, and their parents with underlying risks. No-one who is not at directly at risk should be putting their hand up to skip the queue – the priority is reducing hospital beds and ICU, not using it as a nice to have. Wear a mask, stay isolated, wait our turn.
@Brynþór Patrekursson: People with obesity who dont have a clinical reason for their obesity need to lose weight. Thats on them. Nobody gonna do it for them.
@Pauline Gallagher: to round this off – obesity as a social issue is well documented and not at stake here. What this is about is people with obesity having a higher risk of hospitalization and death due to COVID. Giving a person with massively high BMI a small jab means potentially keeping that ICU bed free for you or I if we need it.
Devestating for family carers who are on call 24hrs a day seven days a week. No access to PPE and treated like dirt by the HSE, this government and previous governments. They should be recognised as frontline healthcare workers but must try to exist on €219 a week social welfare payment. As this payment is means tested there are many family carers working 24/7 who do not receive this payment. Now they won’t even be considered as a group on the priority list for Covid-19 vaccination unlike the USA or the United Kingdom. All we are asking gor is a place on the priority list. Why? Because we are afraid of getting sick or dying with no one to care for our vulnerable loved ones. Many carers are single parents who are caring for sick children. My heart goes out to them all.
No surprise. I’m a year looking after my disabled adult son on my own, essentially locked down. Before, he had about 9hrs a week support. I don’t blame the service doing all they can within constraints. I gave up my well paid, pensionable career to be a carer 24/7 on 219 euro a week because there was no other option. The state and society relies on family carers to pick up the slack of the care and financial investment they refuse to provide for the vulnerable in our society, saving the economy billions a year. They rely on family carers to keep the health service from collapsing, yet seem to honestly believe a pat on the head and a “sure aren’t carers great” is enough. Through the entire pandemic, no thought at all was given to who looks after the vulnerable when their carers fall ill.
They are stumbling from one mess to the next like drunken sailors.
@David Corrigan: that’s a bit hard on the carers. They just want to be pushed up the list like any other interest group.
@David Corrigan: would love to see this group getting priority, but I guess they have a limited supply of vacines in the short term and have to prioritise the people who are at greatest risk of becoming seriously ill and needing medical treatment or hospitalisation. It’s understandable, but doesn’t make it any less disappointing.
@Ciaran O’Mara: I wasn’t talking about the carers but you knew that already.
@David Corrigan: wouldn’t matter. You have your mind made up that we are making a mess of it all, regardless of the facts.
Truth is our vaccinations are going grand…we’re not near the top or bottom of the class compared to the rest of the EU.
But I suppose it’s easier to not bother researching that and just spew negative vibes.
@padraig mcgill: Who will look after my special needs son if I contact covid and end up in hospital? As he is non verbal, open heart survivor, down syndrome and has Autism and a very poor immune system, he cannot ask for help, he cannot take care of any personal needs and he cannot even ask for food or a drink he would starve everything has to be done for him. There is very little sleep to be had as he could get up at anytime during the night and go around the house without even turning on a light. So in order for me to care for him I have to be of full health and being vaccinated would protect him incase I bring home the virus from the supermarket etc.
@Fozz: Are you part of the “we” group? I only deal with facts. You should review them, understand them and then accept them. They are doing more wrong than right and you know it.
@Charliegrl80: my heart goes out to you. I am in the same position with my brother (non-verbal, special nedds, autism, high care requirements, very dependent). I also care for my mother who is 90 and also requires a high level of care. What happens to them if I get a bad case of Covid? How would they eat, drink, go to the toilet, function? It makes me feel very scared and very angry.
@Charliegrl80: I don’t have the answer to that, I was just making the point that its a disappointing decision for carers such as yourself, but that I understand the rational for their decision.
While this is a worthwhile cause, it’s easier to administer vaccine by age. GPs can fly through age groups, the data is there and can’t be interpreted in a different way. Of course If I was offered a vaccine before this guy, I’d let him go first but the target is getting the job done. Stick to the plan and get it done.
When our son with life limiting condition needs gets his annual flu vaccination, we are vaccinated as a family (seven of us) we are a bubble – in order to continue to sheild him we all need to be vaccinated at the same time. not weeks or months apart.
This isn’t news, stop printing whingers
@Pat Andrews: why have they printed your post, after you whinging that they shouldn’tpost whingers?
Crazy that our government dont give priority to the carers of most vulnerable people shows the government dont know what they are doing
@Richarddoherty: they know, they just don’t care enough to change it.
@Richarddoherty: Presumably the Government are following the advice of experts like Professor Butler. In an ideal world everyone would have immediate access to the vaccine but we have limited supplies and somebody has to make the tough choices as to who gets access to it first based on medical need. Quite obviously not everyone is going to be happy with whatever is decided and will feel they should have priority in relation to someone else. I’m not a fan of the Government and they have been pretty poor in their response to Covid but to blame them for this is rather disingenuous…
@William Tallon: there lack of planning and organisation and procurement of the vaccine is not compent just look and counties like Israel Denmark Germany UK and their roll out your easily pleased
@Richarddoherty: I simply stated that priority is based on medical need as determined by expert medical professionals and the Government have to follow that advice. Would you prefer they followed your non-expert advice instead? What am I supposed to be pleased with? With the vaccine roll out? I’m not and I’m amazed you can read that I somehow am into what I wrote. You’re quite obviously angry over the issue but if you’re going to vent then at least do it based on what I’ve said and not what you assume I think…
@William Tallon: carers are taking care of people who cannot care for themselves. Can you comprehend the situation where a vulnerable person cannot eat or drink without someone to provide the means for it? If a carer is too ill to fulfill their responsibilities the results could be catastrophic. I am a carer and I am genuinely terrified about what woukd happen to my family if I get Covid.
@Lily Martin: Yes, I can comprehend that. I had to look after my bedridden father on my own in the year before he died and yes I can understand your fear. But why are you attacking me? You’re making assumptions about me. I’m not making any value judgements about the system they have in place. I do not have the medical knowledge or expertise to do that. I simply stated that blaming the Government is somewhat disingenuous given that they have to follow medical advice. I’m not defending the Government. I’m sure those tasked with making these decisions don’t do so lightly and do it with a heavy heart knowing they have to exclude people. If you’re going to attack anyone then I think you should direct your attacks at the medical professionals who have to make these decisions and not at me.
I’ve Crohns Disease & would be in the high risk category, given I’m on two lots of immune suppressants. But I’d happily give up my injection if offered for family carers or other vulnerable people. It’s not one bit fair on them, it’s ridiculous.
@Kevin O’Brien: nice – but the issue is not one person – but there are last count 200,000 carers out there – I’m sure when doing the list, consideration must be given to the size of the group – no matter how deserving, it means that X other people must be dropped from the priority list.
What group of 200,000 would you drop if you were in power? Though decision.
(195,263 persons to be exact – 4.1% of population – source: Last Census)
“if everything is urgent nothing is urgent”
Can someone in power explain why ?
Family careers have been totally forgotten about…
There are a fixed amount of vaccines available – everyone knows this – so does he, and all the other people who want to move up the list, expect to pick an individual from the current list that shouldn’t get their vaccine or does he expect MOM to do this?
Hopefully other vaccine providers or sources will appear over the next few months.
Possibly the easiest way to rationalise where family carers should be on the list is, where on the priority list would they be if they were carers to individuals with the same vulnerablity but not family members and this was a paid job? Recognises the contribution made, which eases pressure on the health system, provides a consistent level of protection to vulnerable people and doesn’t result in anyone getting jumped in the queue.
Thats just not right. They should fall under the same category as healthcare workers or vulnerable because they are living with and caring for vulnerable.
This article says that over 70s currently in progress, but I don’t think they’re even close! Stilll getting through 85+, so 2 more groups before the 70-74s get done.
They are vaccination the care workers who come into family homes to help the carers but not the carers themselves.So who looks after the vhnersvle person when the carer gets covid.?
My son has an intellectual disabilith and if he gets it I have to stay with him regardless as he cant look after himself.So I’m vunerable.
@Úna O Connor Barrett: same here. I’m a sole carer for my sister who has Down’s syndrome. If I get sick, exposing her to covid, there would be absolutely no care solution for her. Who would take her if she were a close contact?? She is 50, but intellectually 6 or 7… she cannot even make a sandwich or cook. Neighbours couldn’t help cos she would be High risk, there is no family to help and her day services have spent the last year either closed, or trying to keep Covid-free, so they won’t take her. I guess I’d have to call the guards and let them find a solution. That is the harsh reality, esp for sole carers. How would any single parent feel in this situation if they had a small child? I live in total fear now of this scenario being a possibility or becoming a reality. I feel utterly abandoned by this government.
have your say