HSE to call on ‘influential groups’ to encourage people to get the Covid-19 vaccine

The HSE has said it will call on “key influential groups” to help with its communication strategy for the launch of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Tomorrow, the working group on the Covid-19 vaccine will present its overall strategy to the government and it is expected to be presented to the Cabinet early next week.

Speaking today at HSE’s weekly briefing, CEO Paul Reid said that one of the work streams of the task force has been the entire area of ​​communications.

“This will imply strategic communication up to and before the vaccination program and when the vaccination program begins, and obviously in its operation and implementation,” he said.

Reid said the HSE “will bring together key influential groups to play a role.”

“From our perspective, the more influential groups express themselves unequivocally and clearly, the more useful it will be for us. Anti-vaccine and anti-vaccine campaigns, we want to anticipate and obtain clear and precise information “.

Last week, the Taoiseach said it would be willing to publicly receive the vaccine on television. Research from RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne found that more than nine out of ten TDs would receive a Covid-19 vaccine if it were available to them.

In a statement yesterday, a group representing the Irish bishops said it is “morally permissible” for Catholics to take a Covid-19 vaccine that involves the use of fetal cell lines. Most of the Covid-19 vaccines in development do not use human cells to produce them.

Although Reid said vaccine developments in recent weeks meant that people might look to 2021 with greater hope and optimism, he urged people to stay the course over the Christmas period.

He said the HSE wants to prevent a large number of cases, each with a greater number of close contacts, in the immediate post-Christmas period, when health services are generally under the most pressure.

“There is high demand in a normal year for non-Covid services, but our challenge this year is doubled. We will have to meet the demand but also the demand of what we are seeing in the highest projected cases, ”he said.

He urged people to make “sensible and safe” decisions about what to do during the holidays and, in particular, to keep the number of contacts low.

“The personal judgments we make and how we live, how we visit, how we meet our friends and family during Christmas, will be key to protecting the health service,” he said.

“I know that some people have a natural and understandable intention and intention, to say ‘I will have a greater number of contacts for a few days at Christmas and then I will quickly reduce them.’

“Unfortunately, the circumstances that we know will happen with that, a large number of contacts will lead to a high spread of the virus.”