Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has welcomed the approval by Government this morning of provisional Covid-19 vaccine allocation groups.

Teachta Cullinane said:

“The approval by Government of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee’s provisional Covid-19 vaccine allocation groups, is a good start.

“The groups outlined in the proposal shows a keen awareness of the demographic and sectoral considerations necessary to delivering the vaccine where it’s needed most.

“Key workers and those otherwise working in conditions that pose a high-risk – such as meat plant workers or bus drivers – need to be prioritised alongside vulnerable groups.

“This is key to reducing the risk of transmission in the community and protecting vulnerable populations who have not been vaccinated early or who cannot be vaccinated. It will also help to keep pressure off our hospitals.

“It is an important recognition of the risk that workers take every day, and an issue we have been raising. I welcome that it is being addressed as a key aspect of the rollout.

“What we need to see next is the plan for rolling out the vaccine.

“We need to be engaging with community and voluntary organisations – local sports clubs, charities, and others – to make use of their premises, which are located in every community.

“We also need to see greater engagement with GPs and pharmacies to ensure that their needs are met, and that sufficient staffing levels are in place to rollout the vaccine when it is ready.

“I look forward to engaging with the NIAC and the High-Level Task Force in the Health Committee on 16 December to get into the detail of these areas.”