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Tánaiste Leo Varadkar warned in a private meeting of the Fine Gael party that there are a number of “unknowns” surrounding the new Covid-19 vaccines, including rare potential side effects.
Sources at the meeting said that Varadkar pointed out that the government does not know how long immunity will last after vaccination and also said that it will not be possible to fully understand what rare side effects exist until a million or two million people have taken the vaccine. But he insisted that the safety profile of the vaccines looks very good.
It is understood that he said that although the news about vaccines has been positive today, “there are a number of unknowns.”
In terms of government planning, Mr. Varadkar said that a single IT system would now be needed, something that does not currently exist.
It is understood that Mr. Varadkar said that the vaccine will not be mandatory, but that the Government will need to find a way to provide people with proof or proof that they have received the vaccine, whether they want or need it.
He also stressed that the government was providing compensation to pharmaceutical companies and that had to be done before they were supplied.
A communication campaign would also be needed for those who hesitate to vaccinate, the sources present said.
cost
Previously, the Minister of Health, Stephen Donnelly, confirmed that obtaining vaccines against Covid-19 will cost the State 117.6 million euros.
The minister told the Oireachtas select health committee on Wednesday afternoon that the country had agreements to buy 15.6 million doses of vaccines manufactured by several different pharmaceutical companies.
Donnelly said that while there has not been a government decision yet, his “unequivocal opinion” is that the Covid-19 vaccine should be provided free of charge.
While Britain has approved a vaccine for immediate use, a decision is awaited from Europe on approval of the vaccine for use in EU countries.
In the Dáil, Taoiseach Micheál Martin defended the EU decision that national governments will compensate companies that produce the Covid-19 vaccine amid concerns that it could expose the state to millions of euros in future costs.
Mr. Martin insisted that getting the vaccine “just wouldn’t have happened” without pre-purchase agreements.
Ireland will now have access to vaccines from six companies through European Commission agreements, but the decision to indemnify the companies is a precondition for access to millions of doses of the jab.
Aontú TD Peadar Tóibín expressed concern in the Dáil that the decision “occurred in secret, without political discussion or scrutiny.”
He hoped that “we will have a safe, ethically produced and effective vaccine that will help the country return to normalcy.”
However, Tóibín believed that when the government compensates private companies, “it takes away the economic imperative for these companies to ensure that their product is 100% safe and leaves the country potentially exposed to millions of euros in costs in the future.”
Expressing concern about the government’s decision to indemnify the companies, he also asked “why is Ireland in danger, potentially, if not everything goes according to plan”.
The Taoiseach said “there is no fixed amount. The conclusion here is that either we want a vaccine in the midst of a global pandemic or we don’t want it ”.
He told Mr. Tóibín: “Now, be real. This is unprecedented in terms of progress in making this vaccine and without pre-purchase agreements, it just couldn’t and wouldn’t have happened. ”
He said that “this was very clear from the beginning for those who followed the European debate on this.
“The European Commission, on behalf of the member states, entered into pre-purchase agreements with companies in order to obtain vaccines to deal with a virus that is paralyzing the economies of the entire world.”
He said billions of euros have been spent globally to try to save economies and maintain jobs.
“The balance is correct in this context. It’s the right balance, ”he said.
Pace of preparation
He previously told Dáil that the European Medicines Agency had a “huge” responsibility in recommending the vaccine as safe and effective.
Questions also arose about the pace of preparation for the Covid-19 vaccine launch following UK approval of the Pfizer / BioNTech version, with plans to roll it out next week.
Labor leader Alan Kelly said Finland, France, Denmark and now the UK have made progress on their plans for the vaccine supply.
He said that “we must have the same rhythm and the same consideration in this”, since he reiterated the “fundamental need” for a minister of vaccines that is exclusively in charge of the issue.
But the Taoiseach emphasized that it had established a task force and that it was a matter of national priority. “I’ll stay on top of this until we fix it,” Martin said.
He said that Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna applied for authorization from the EU on Tuesday and the head of the European Medicines Agency informed health ministers on Wednesday morning and will evaluate those vaccines by December 29 at the latest.
Mr. Martin said that “the responsibility of that authority is enormous in recommending the vaccine as safe and effective. And we shouldn’t create a pressure zone on the regulatory authority to do the right thing. “
Asked by Mr. Kelly about what the task force implementation plan to be delivered on December 11 would contain, Mr. Martin said that work is “progressing well.”
Martin said the ultra-low temperature storage freezers have arrived in the country and will be commissioned by the middle of next week.
“The IT infrastructure and database will be created and workforce is being worked to administer the vaccine,” along with organizing the workforce, due to the scale involved.
He said that work is also being done on sequencing who receives the vaccine first and in what order and communications.
Authority
There needs to be a minister in charge with executive authority to make quick decisions because such decisions are necessary to save lives, save jobs, save businesses, Kelly said.
He also expressed concern that the Covid-19 working group has only met twice. “I don’t think the working group should meet like this. I think it should be permanent, ”he said.
The Labor leader said that “this is the biggest emergency that we have faced and that we will do in our life, so the deployment of a vaccine and how it will be done must have a permanent national group with a minister in charge.”
Kelly said Noel Browne had been appointed the state’s prime minister of health with the sole role of eradicating tuberculosis and “by God, he helped do that.”
He said the minister in charge “should do the same.”
“We need to have a situation where anyone who is working on this is not questioned,” and does not have to “worry about whether the decisions that they are asked to make will be questioned. ”
Insisting that he “will stay on top of this until we fix it,” Mr. Martin added that much of the experience and expertise resides with the Health Services Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health that have been involved. in a variety of immunization programs.
Mr. Martin said that the plan would be presented on December 11 and that the Government then aimed to “put the plan into operation.”
“The HSE will be a key driver of the operational plan and the Department of Health will have the supervision” and the Minister of Health in the first instance.
Mr. Martin added: “It is easy to nominate a name and put someone in charge who will not necessarily have the line of responsibility or authority over officials or agencies. This is a problem that must be solved in that sense ”.
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