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Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is under pressure over the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine amid claims that official guidance was not available or was insufficient.
As Dublin’s second maternity hospital admitted vaccinating staff relatives, the minister was struggling to overcome the situation last night.
His spokesman said the vaccines were operational matters that would not be notified to the minister, and that the issues would be addressed first at the HSE.
But the HSE only issued new protocols on what to do with leftover doses in the middle of last week.
This was after the Coombe hospital administered 16 doses of the vaccine to relatives of family members because it said it could not get instructions from health authorities and did not want the vaccines to go to waste.
Yesterday, Rotunda said it had also administered vaccinations to family members of staff members, while Tallaght Hospital said the beatings were for management and administration staff.
It was also revealed last night that 10 construction workers who are doing construction work at Kerry University Hospital in Tralee received the Covid-19 vaccine.
The hospital said they needed to work in clinical areas and were involved in time-critical construction projects.
Opposition leaders are ready to increase pressure on Donnelly starting today. Questions will be raised in the Dáil about the minister’s handling of the vaccine release.
Labor leader Alan Kelly told the Irish Independent that the fact that vaccines were being administered to relatives of hospital staff was “very detrimental to the vaccination program.”
“There are a number of questions that must be answered by the hospital and the minister. What did the HSE protocol say and why was it not followed? ” he said.
“Minister Donnelly does not seem to be aware of this, and one of the reasons he wanted a minister dedicated to vaccines was for when problems like this arise.”
The spokeswoman for the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall, said that what happened was completely unacceptable and a “slap in the face” for the priority groups that are still waiting.
There were anecdotes of other examples, he said. Many frontline workers facing daily risks have yet to receive a vaccine even though two hospitals have given surplus injections to family members of staff.
However, medical director Dr. Tony Holohan said replacement vaccines should be used for those with “highest priority.”
The HSE issued revised guidelines for hospitals and healthcare settings last Tuesday saying that any planned vaccination session must include a waiting list with the contact details of 120 healthcare workers who
you may receive additional vaccinations.
Hospital groups have not been able to say how hospitals are prioritized for receiving the vaccine.
Irish independent
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