[ad_1]
Ireland has total orders for 18.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, enough to vaccinate 10.3 million people, according to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.
Donnelly said he submitted a memorandum to Cabinet on Tuesday to allow the purchase of 1.1 million doses of Novovax vaccine and 330,000 doses of Valneva vaccine, in addition to existing orders.
Valneva can be stored for 18 months, Donnelly said. Its Italian manufacturers have not yet applied for authorization in Europe.
The government has taken every option to buy the vaccines that had been proposed to it, the minister said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Donnelly said more than 7,000 vaccinators have been trained, adding that he would like to see dentists and optometrists onboard in the launch of the vaccine.
On mandatory quarantine, he said he hopes to pass all stages of the legislation through the Dail this week, before the bill reaches the Seanad. Once signed, the measures would take effect a week or two later.
Meetings have been held with potential operators and hotels, and the Government has preferred that a single contractor provide a service “from start to finish” from the moment a passenger arrives from abroad.
He said there will be “brighter days” ahead for the launch of the vaccine starting in April, when more than 1 million doses will be administered, subject to contracted supply delivery.
People at high risk of contracting Covid-19 can move to priority to receive vaccines, the briefing was said.
Caregivers, people who must work in certain workplaces and those who live in congregated settings will be considered as part of an ongoing review of vaccine prioritization, according to Professor Karina Butler, chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
Under the changes announced Tuesday night, many patients with serious health problems need to get vaccinated earlier.
With a change in the Government’s vaccine allocation strategy, people aged 16 to 69 with a medical condition that puts them at very high risk of severe disease and death will now be inoculated in the strategy’s fourth cohort, after those over 70 years old.
Among those who will now be inoculated in the fourth cohort are cancer patients on chemo or radiation therapy, on dialysis or with uncontrolled diabetes, adults with Down syndrome, and patients with motor neuron disease and severe cystic fibrosis.
Donnelly said at the briefing that the change was consistent with the program’s overall goal of reducing illness and mortality from the virus.
Arrangements are being made to deliver the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to homebound seniors, Professor Butler said. If some patients still cannot receive this vaccine, they should receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
When asked about the outlook for next winter, Donnelly said there were “unknowns,” but at this stage the evidence suggested it would be very different from last winter.
[ad_2]