Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD has welcomed the publication of the High-Level Task Force proposals adopted by Government for the Covid-19 Vaccine Strategy and Implementation Plan.

He said it is an important development which will be scrutinised at the Health Committee tomorrow.

Teachta Cullinane said:

“This is a welcome development in the fight against Covid-19.

“We have seen in the North and Britain that the vaccine is already being rolled out to vulnerable groups.

“While we wait for approval from the European Medicines Agency, it is important that we ensure the systems are in place to receive, store, roll out, and administer the vaccine.

“This needs to be a success, and that means it must be sufficiently resourced, staffed, and planned.

“We have an opportunity tomorrow at the Health Committee to get into the detail further.

“This strategy and implementation plan now needs to be actioned – community and pop-up facilities need to be secured, additional staffing needs to be recruited and trained, and we need to put public health experts at the front of this campaign.

“It must be underpinned by a robust and compelling public information and awareness campaign focussed on people’s concerns, how the vaccines work, and their historical and contemporary importance.

“The importance of vaccination needs to be stressed to young people in particular.

“The credibility of the vaccines needs to be protected with good, honest, and truthful information. Trust and transparency are the basis of success.

“That also means reversing decades of underinvestment in public health and the resolution of public health specialist pay and staffing concerns.

“This can serve as the starting point for boosting vaccination levels on diseases other than Covid-19 and ensuring that public health is sufficiently resourced to achieve that.”