Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD has said that “people will not be impressed by the Taoiseach’s failure to answer straight questions on the rollout of the booster vaccine.”

Ms McDonald stated that the “all hands on deck” approach announced by Micheál Martin should have happened two months ago. 

Teachta McDonald said:

“The Taoiseach said that it is now full steam ahead for the booster campaign but he won’t tell us how the government will increase the number of vaccinators to the levels required. 

“He won’t tell us how many additional vaccinators they will put in place or when they will be in place. The campaign is currently operating with 500 fewer vaccinators than the original rollout. This needs to be ramped-up with real speed.

“The Taoiseach also refused to outline what additional supports government will offer to GPs and pharmacies, even though they are key to accelerating the rollout.

“The vast majority of people want their booster. We all want the booster campaign to be successful but the government must up its game considerably in terms resourcing the rollout on the ground. 

“It is not good enough that the government moves far too slowly and is always playing catch-up.”