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Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has indicated that he does not foresee the lifting of the Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions in the short term.
Given that the vaccines will be rolled out in the state tomorrow, he said there was reason to say the Tier 5 restrictions should remain in place until those most at risk are vaccinated. The current levels of restrictions would be reviewed by the Cabinet in January. 12, he said.
Mr. Varadkar said that cases were expected to increase early in the new year and then, “hopefully”, they would decrease. However, he cautioned that some form of Level 5 restrictions might have to last for months, not just weeks. Any restriction we put in place now could be in place for “quite a long time” and must be sustainable.
On Mr. Varadkartold RTE’s Morning Ireland, there were concerns that the new, more transmissible variant of the virus in circulation here might have to change the National Public Health Emergency Team’s calculations. Previously, when there were Level 3 and Level 5 restrictions, the R rate had been lowered, but the new variant could have an impact on that, he said.
The state will vaccinate up to 20,000 people a week starting in early January, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said, arguing that Ireland will not “be left behind” amid criticism of the speed of implementation of the Covid-19 immunization program. .
Mr Varadkar defended the speed at which the Covid-19 vaccination program will start in Ireland after several EU countries started implementing their programs over the weekend. It will be slow at first, but will spread over the course of the next few months, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
The rate at which the vaccination program will be implemented is due to issues such as vaccinator training and informed consent, he added.
Medical experts had advised that the program start in acute care hospitals so that there would be full back-up should something happen. There have been some cases of anaphylactic reaction in other countries, he said.
When asked if the issue of litigation had been a cause for concern, Mr Varadkar said that was always the case in Ireland with “anything to do with any kind of medical care”. There had been “great concern” about the litigation and the need to “make sure everything is okay.”
Róisín Shortall, co-director of the Social Democrats, said it appeared that “there were logistical problems with registration and consent, which should have already been resolved.”
It is understood that special attention is being paid to the issue of consent in program design. The State is suspicious of the possibility of litigation derived from the vaccination program, after facing legal cases that addressed the issue of informed consent about Pandemrix, the vaccine against swine flu.
Senior physicians, including Dr. Tony Holohan, were in the limelight in the wake of recent actions, said a source involved in the launch, arguing there was a troubled culture surrounding medical malpractice. Consent is also a key focus among nursing home residents, some of whom may have impaired cognitive function or communication difficulties.
Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane said it was important that the HSE “lay out the reasoning why it seems to be taking a bit longer than other countries.”
Donnelly said HSE would begin vaccinating healthcare settings next week before moving directly to nursing homes, and “in parallel” immunizing frontline healthcare workers.
“A lot of work is being done to ensure that informed consent materials and procedures are correct, legally sound, and to ensure that training materials are appropriate,” he said Sunday.
The state had the infrastructure to implement tens of thousands of vaccines per week in January, he added.
“From the first week of January we will be receiving 40,000 doses per week. That means we can vaccinate up to 20,000 people a week from the beginning of January. “
An HSE source said that between 2,000 and 4,000 people are likely to be vaccinated this week, increasing to 20,000 per week as of January 4, and between 30,000 and 40,000 people per week as of January 11, if supplies are delivered to the country.
Before it was planned
The vaccine launch program will begin Tuesday, a day earlier than planned, at one of four hospitals designated as initial sites for administration. Initially, the plan had been to go straight to nursing homes, but the National Immunization Advisory Committee (NIAC) said it would prefer that the first tranche be administered in healthcare settings after some reports of anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction, in the United Kingdom and the United States. State.
Professor Karina Butler, chair of the committee, told The Irish Times that because of this, CANI had requested that vaccines be administered initially “in facilities where medical support was available, and in the intervening time vaccinators would gain confidence and experience in the handling if there were reactions ”.
Training of vaccinators on the specific requirements for the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine will intensify this week, with about 200 vaccinators typically working in school immunization programs, along with 1,500 other health professionals, likely involved.
Maximum priority
When asked why Ireland was not implementing the program immediately, HSE CEO Paul Reid said the top priority was to start vaccinating people safely and effectively. “We want to build trust early and right away with our own vaccine implementation process,” he said.
The HSE said it plans to complete all vaccinations in nursing homes by February 28, covering 70,000 employees and residents. A draft of the vaccination schedule shows that the nursing home program will begin in earnest in the week beginning January 11, and the vaccination schedule will be finalized this Thursday after further consultation with nursing home operators.
Covid will be discussed at today’s cabinet meeting that was held to discuss the Brexit deal agreed on December 24.
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