At the Oireachtas Health Committe today we heard from Professor Brian MacCraith, Chair of the High Level Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccination, Professor Karina Butler, Head of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rónán Glynn, and other officials.

Many officials from the Task Force, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, the HSE and at the Department of Health have worked hard to develop the Vaccination Strategy and the Implementation Plan.

From reading the Strategy and the Implementation Plan it is clear that the guidance and advice from the European Commission which was communicated in October has been used to develop the Strategy and Plan.

It’s clear that our national Plan aligns with best practice points raised by the EU such as –

  • Ensuring we view the vaccine as an addition not replacement of the non-medical measures like social distancing, limiting contacts, good hygiene practices etc.
  • Ensuring we target ‘at risk’ groups in our country and make the vaccine as accessible as possible
  • Ensuring we resource the deployment properly – after all the choice facing us was to either save lives or reduce transmission. And there can be no price too high on saving lives.
  • Ensuring co-operating and consultation with our European partners and neighbours.

But most important of all is the immense need to build confidence in this vaccine programme and confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines – five of which we have signed up to so far.

It is vital that people are provided with accurate, factual and objective information about the importance of the vaccine but also the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic we had clear, concise information on the Coronavirus – how it operates, how it spreads, how it affects the body, the signs to watch out for and crucially the actions that we could all take to slow it down. That information and advice, without doubt, saved lives. And that’s what we need now.

I asked the witnesses at the Committee:

  • to what extent has there been engagement on implementing the most effective communication and public awareness campaign
  • if we have identified the organisation or agency most responsible for this? The European Medicines Agency approves the vaccines and the Health Products Regulatory Authority advises on the regulation and safety of medicines and vaccines. But which organisation is going to lead the information and public awareness campaign?

It is not enough for us to react. We must actively build and maintain confidence. False claims and misinformation spread faster than any virus and can be just as lethal.

I made a number of suggestions including:

  • The delivery of an information booklet sent to every household with details on vaccines, how they work, what they do and details on sources of the research.
  • Engagement with social media companies, including Facebook and Twitter, so that inaccurate, misleading or scaremongering claims are marked as ‘disputed’ in a similar way to how the social media companies have approached elections. People could then be directed to impartial, verified and accurate information.

I agree wholeheartedly with the assertion in the Implementation Plan that “vaccines are a proven, cost-effective intervention to protect public health; second only to the provision of clean water”.

However, I worry about the impact of campaigns to discredit vaccines and I fear that they will cost lives – kill people – if we don’t prepare properly and proactively.