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THE HIGH LEVEL vaccine task force report which was delivered to government last week will be discussed by Cabinet today.
While the report does not deal with prioritisation, it does deal with the logistical challenges in vaccinating the Irish population in a relatively short period of time.
It aims to set out the entire vaccination process – from procurement, to storage, to inoculation.
It is understood the report will recommend vaccine hubs be set up, with retired doctors and healthcare professionals who are proficient in administering injections being asked to help with the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.
However, the majority of the work will fall to healthcare workers, such as GPs, nurses and pharmacists who are set to be asked to administer the vaccine programme.
The task force membership is made up of senior representatives from the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, the Office of Government Procurement, IDA Ireland, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of the Taoiseach, together with expertise in the area of logistics.
It has met a number of times over the past couple of weeks to examine issues such as the supply chain, the vaccination process and the potential vaccination workforce.
It is under this last heading that the task force is set to recommend a public call for retired healthcare professionals and GPs who feel they can step in to help administer the vaccine.
It is understood that government will be looking for as many trained hands as possible to aid with the vaccination of the population, which will also include calling in the help of Defence Forces personnel.
Under sequencing plans, care home residents over the age of 65 and staff at these facilities will receive the vaccine first.
Next in line will be frontline healthcare workers in direct patient contact roles, and then those aged 70 and older, with people aged 85 and over receiving the vaccine first among that cohort.
Limited volumes of the vaccine will be available in Ireland in January and February, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
The vaccine will be available in Ireland one week after it is approved at a European level.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is expected to be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) by 29 December at the latest. Approval for the Moderna vaccine is expected by January 12.
Rollout
The Taoiseach said the “optimal period” for the rollout of the vaccine will come in May and June.
“The key point is this, the vaccine is a complementary tool to the measures we are already using in terms of restrictions.
“People need to be aware of that, just because a vaccine is arriving, doesn’t mean we can let down our guard.
“It will add significantly to our armoury in terms of putting the pressure on this virus,” he said.
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That’s fantastic!!! Well done Sir.
Fair play!
Retired at 55 Great country
@Paul O Riordan: you could retire at any age if you want ,it just that the money isn’t great
@FlopFlipU: on a sliding scale is it. No one told me that
@Paul O Riordan: not 1 bit envious are you
@Paul O Riordan:
One family member retired at 47, my father at 77
When it’s entirely self financed you can do as you like
@Paul O Riordan: mind your own!!!
@Paul O Riordan: Have you always been a grade A A****h**e? People like you just suck every last bit of good out of everything. Do you know this man’s back story or is it one of your hide behind the keyboard judgements?
How did he cycle across the oceans……
@Alan McCartney: Apparently he swam the ocean sections with the bicycle strapped to his back.
@Alan McCartney: Apparently he swam the ocean sections with the bicycle strapped to his back which is deemed acceptable.
@Alan McCartney: I would have liked to see a few references to Chukchi Sea, the Diomede Islands and Alaska. also Afghanistan and the NWT in Pakistan rather than Madrid, Australia and Waghington DC…
@Alan McCartney: *sigh (There’s always one)
55? Sure he’s only a youngfella.
I would absolutely loveeeee to do this. I’m gonna do it when I’m 56, lololol.
When will someone travel around the world just for fun and forget about the goody goody charity thing?Tell people you’re going around the globe for a laugh and you have nothing better to do.
@Sarah Bullimer: what on earth is wrong with raising money for charity?
Well done! Full of admiration for him.
Excellent well Done
Fair play to him. well done Sir a great achievement. I remember hearing a few years ago about someone else who was doing this or something similar, and they got as far as Dublin and had their Bike nicked from outside the GPO. He said he hadn’t had to lock it in any other city he had been too before Dublin.
@thatsnotme: maybe so but hardly unique to Dublin. Cycling UK report that 327,000 bicycles are stolen every year in England and Wales
W
Well done Viktor Orban sir
Go Dermo go. Enjoyed the posts along the way well done
horrible prostate issues – forgive me for assuming
His arse must be killing him!
I’d say his poor hoop is in shite
have your say