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TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has told the Dáil that a high-level taskforce has been established to oversee the roll out of Covid-19 vaccines in Ireland once they are approved by the statutory authorities.
Martin said that targeting people who are most vulnerable to Covid-19 will be the immediate priority of government.
The high-level vaccine task force will be tasked with co-ordinating preparations and ensuring the nationwide roll out of a Covid-19 vaccine when one is safe and ready to be distributed, said Martin.
In August, the government set up a vaccine strategy committee under the chairmanship of the Department of Health, while the HSE set up its own group.
However, Cabinet decided yesterday that a “whole-of-government group”, which will take in expertise from outside government in regard to organising the logistical operations, is now needed.
Who is on the taskforce?
The group will be chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith from DCU. The Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan will also be on vaccine task force, as will Paul Reid, CEO of the HSE.
Senior civil servant and chair of the senior officials group on Covid-19, Liz Canavan, Barry Lowry, Government chief information officer; and Paul Quinn, Government chief procurement officer, will also sit on the taskforce.
In addition, there will be a nominee yet to be confirmed from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, who will be a logistics cold chain expert and a project management expert.
Earlier this week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their Covid-19 vaccine was 90% effective in its large-scale Phase 3 trial.
It has been hailed as a ‘watershed moment’ and welcomed by scientists, health officials and world leaders.
The vaccine requires two doses. This means twice the number of visits to a vaccination centre – or wherever it is administered. At best this would result in resource and administrative challenges in first world countries, but it presents a much more serious barrier for less developed countries.
Another serious roadblock is the temperature at which this vaccine needs to be stored: at -80 degrees.
This issue was raised by Labour leader Alan Kelly today in the Dáil.
The Taoiseach said Kelly was correct in identifying the logistical issues around the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in terms of the requirement for storage. He said the high-level vaccine task force will be tasked with co-ordinating preparations in this area.
Vaccines under consideration
However, Martin said it is not the only vaccine in the works.
He explained that Ireland is part of a pre-purchase agreement with the European Commission.
Allocation of access to vaccine doses between Member States will be decided according to a set population distribution.
There are currently no Covid-19 vaccines authorised for use in Europe, but there is a portfolio of seven potential vaccines, explained the Taoiseach.
Advance Purchase Agreements have issued for three of these vaccines, and Ireland has opted-in to each. These include:
The Taoiseach said the emerging news is that the Commission is on the cusp of signing, if it has not already signed, a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech.
“The President of the Commission has been leading that process and I have been in contact with her on it. It has been discussed at European Council meetings. Ultimately, it is the Commission’s target to have an agreement with seven consortia.
“There is enough funding across the European system for arrangements with six consortia and it will probably go to a seventh. We will need the full range of options throughout 2021 because the next issue will be manufacture.
“All of those agreements include specific dosage allocations that mean we would get approximately 1% of whatever the European procurement is… That will be very significant for us in terms of targeting the vulnerable and those who would be a priority in terms of the receipt of a vaccine,” said Martin.
Last month, a survey showed that over half of people in Ireland would take a Covid-19 vaccine if there was one.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos MRBI for the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) found 55% would take the vaccine, while 33% said they were unsure. 12% of respondents said they would not take a vaccine.
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Jobs for the boys
@bmul: Yep. The money tree keeps on giving. Ain’t it something!?
@bmul: Any other suggestions for members of the group, or would you consider Facebook or YouTube a better place to find experts?
@bmul: and girls
@bmul: which boys would they be now?? Or maybe they should just hire you and a few of your buddies to roll out a potential vaccine!
@bmul: canb jobs or extra work and maybe even extra work for no pay.
See most top civil servants are paid for the job they do and not by hours or time spend on boards and they would not normally get overtime either they are responsible 24/7/365 and not just the hours of 9 to 5.
So I am curious how much this might or might not be extra work and for how much, if any, extra income.
Even if there is money to be paid, this is what happens in many industries, so why not pay the experts if that is what is needed. It is open to anyone to join the public service and apply to take on the responsibility of dealing with issues that affect peoples lives, to get involved instead of sitting and commenting from the side lines. I am glad I do not have to made decisions that could affect whether someone lives or dies.
No mention of the fact that the last time we rushed a vaccine to market there were unforseen side effects that emerged.
@Adam Conroy: shush..nobody noticed
@Adam Conroy: 2 of those teenagers in the courts/reaching settlements in recent months.
@Adam Conroy: 16,000 worldwide suffered
@Anna Anna: Tony Holohan was on PrimeTime in 2012 to defend the rushed swine flu vaccine after it had been recalled
https://www.thejournal.ie/government-official-defends-indemnity-for-swine-flue-vaccine-makers-423613-Apr2012/
The anti-vaxxers are slowly having to out themselves now as we move ever closer to deployment of this life saving vaccine.
@Tommy Roche: please point out where I said I was against vaccines in general? Pandemrix swine flu vaccine was used here after being rushed to market. It later emerged it caused narcolepsy in some people. Why is it that you either are all for the vaccine to be given ASAP or you are anti-vax? Do people have no idea of nuance?
@Tommy Roche: Joe Moore is just sad he won’t have as many opportunities to poke fun at people dying. Thought he was very funny mocking people who died.
@Adam Conroy: when they can’t argue against the evidence they will try to smear the source. Best to just ignore anybody that throws around the anti-vaxxer label. They don’t seem capable of debating the evidence. Even when it comes from our current CMO. If they can’t acknowledge past mistakes, they are doomed to repeat them
@Tommy Roche: there’s no slowly outing with that lot. They are more delighted than anyone there’s a vaccine as they can shout from the rooftops about how their not taking it to seem edgy, despite it being optional and nobody caring about their personal choice.
@Evan: Again…Nobody on this thread has mentioned being anti-vax. I get the flu vaccine every year. But vaccine side effects are a real thing and we have recent evidence of them happening. It’s just as bad to stick your head in the sand about possible vaccine side effects as it is to be against vaccines completely.
@Anna Anna: I debate you but first you need to explain how this vaccine is the same as the H1N1 that caused issues.
Its easy for people like you a noted cutter and paster, to feel you have the credentials to use the issues experienced 11 years ago are going to repeat themselves.
There is a raft of evidence freely available right now on the differences but perhaps reading that might have you understand the difference in these two vaccines.
So, let’s begin how do you know the issues of the H1N1 vaccine will repeat themselves?
Pfizer was not involved in that btw, also Pfizer is now a global producer of vaccines and has many vaccines in the market, for example prenvar, initially a pediatric vaccine to prevent pneumonia in children and it has a safety record of 99% with billions of units produced.
Pfizers production and safety of vaccines is world renowned and the global team they have are some of the best in the industry.
Albert Burola, CEO of Pfizer stated repeatedly since July that no vaccine will be in the market if not safe, also all participants in the trial are going to be monitored for 2 years.
Vaccines will always have side effects some severe but mostly mild.
Over 500,000 people globally have participated in trails , largest in human history, some people, 10 reported, have had serious side effects, .
Now tell us why this vaccine is dangerous or more dangerous than the one 11 years ago.
@Adam Conroy: I’m not talking about reasonable people who have concerns about a quick vaccine. Thats understandable, I’m taking about people who make comments like having to be tied down with restraints to take it and other such hyperbolic statements as if they’ll be forced or something as if they are railing against some totalitarian regime or something. The oridinary Joe soap probably won’t even get it for 2 years and even then it will be optional. They care more about peoples reaction to them not taking it rather than just not taking it and leaving it up to everyone’s personal choice.
@Anna Anna: indeed being pro safe vaccine is not anti vaccine. It’s common sense
@Adam Conroy: What are the side-effects of this vaccine ? Why do people continue to drag up an incident involving one vaccine from one manufacturer 11yrs ago that caused issues in a tiny minority of those given the vaccine ? Anti-vaxxers never bring up the Polio vaccine, the measles vaccine, the mumps vaccine, the millions of doses of seasonal flu vaccine administered in Europe every year. And why ? Because they are safe !! Mentioning them would work against the agenda And by the way, I’m not sure why my comment didn’t include the name of the person I was replying to, but it wasn’t aimed directly at you.
@Tommy Roche: fair enough. But they’re talking about the one that caused side effects because it was rushed to use. All I’m saying is that I’d personally rather wait a year or two to see if this one will be completely safe. If it is in two years then sign me up.
What could possibly go wrong?
@Dave Kavanagh:
@Dave Kavanagh: Most likely nothing.
@Tommy Roche: most likely nothing? And you can be sure of that?
No thanks
@Metaljester:here here!, you keep your vanncines and your fancy round earth, we don’t need them!
@Metaljester: Why ? Are you content to keep exposing yourself to the virus? I assume there will be some sort of certificate when someone is vaccinated that can then be used to travel etc.
@Hector Son: I’ll gladly bring my yellow vaccine passport to get it dated & stamped to show I’ve got it. Along with all the other ones I’ve got for travel to other counties.
Will have to hold me down with restraints before they get anywhere near me with it.
@Derek Anderson: Thanks , that’s one extra chance for me …phew … anyone else wanna refuse … let’s hear ya folks !
@Terry Cahill: I’m good
@Derek Anderson: When H5N1 finally evolves to make human to human transmission much easier, I guarantee you’ll be swatting people out of the way to get to the head of the queue. 40%-60% mortality rate and age is not a factor. Covid is only a taster of what viral evolution can throw at us.
@Tommy Roche: nah just stay away from infected birds.
@Terry Cahill: good luck
@Derek Anderson: it’s optional derek. All you have to say is no.
Kerching
“high level”. That’s me convinced!
Too many chiefs and not enough indians springs to mind.
Get Nphet involved. They will keep it in Level -80 no problem!
Maybe they should call it low level so when they make a balls of it the bar was already set low
Recipe for another complete mess up
@Kevin Davy: what’s your solution then Kevin?
@Hector Son: all this negative when people need good news and positive news
Look, if they need a test person I would go for it if it means that I would be allowed to listen to live music, visit people, do sports, being in the nature… and if course travelling (first to my family)
well I guess those with the vaccine will not be subject to travel restrictions or pre flight tests or isolation upon arrival… great news for some,
We can have a covid-19 vaccine book just like we have for Yellow Fever – just imagine a vaccine was required to enter Spain and one arrived without their vaccination card and had to be vaccinated on the spot or sent packing home to Ireland… you think I joke – read the list of countries that may require a Yellow Fever Passport – https://www.who.int/ith/ITH_country_list.pdf – look it up I have a Yellow Fever Passport and I can see covid-19 vaccines going this way for a few years until the world has some level of immunity.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: That’s a logical step to keep the population of the destination country safe. It’s up to everyone to decide what they want.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: so can I, I have quiet a few vaccines in my yellow passport from my travels. I’ll happily get another one. To me the vaccine is going to equal freedom.
Tony Holi han ?
no thankd
Let’s hope they don’t f this up
This will be the next shambles…
Do we have any idea how long this vaccine will give immunity for? It appears from the Imperial College study that those who tested positive for Covid 19 do not have detectable antibodies after 3-4 months so it’s not as if the vaccine will be giving immunity for a decent length of time in which case it won’t be the silver bullet people are hoping it will be but it sure will cost a lot.
Let’s see how the Govt. will balls it up trying to profiteer out of the implementing of it and screw it up for everyone!!
have your say