I welcome the expansion of the Covid-19 vaccination programme to the Merlin Park Community Nursing Units this week having started in Galway last week at UHG.

From next week vaccination teams will start work at other Galway nursing homes and care facilities as part of the national plan to vaccinate people who are most vulnerable and at risk first. 

I’ve been contacted by a large number of people who are understandably concerned and anxious for the vaccination programme to expand as quickly as possible. 

Our immediate priority is on looking after the most vulnerable people and frontline healthcare workers as we continue to battle Covid-19 in this third wave of the Coronavirus. 

The Pfizer BioNTech Vaccine, which has been put through rigorous safety tests and analysis and has been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), will be offered to residents in the Merlin Park Community Nursing Units from Thursday. Vaccination teams will then move to other nursing homes and care facilities in Galway from next week. 

The public health teams – which include an initial 1,700 vaccinators with training of more staff underway – will be working to vaccinate residents in at least 150 nursing homes per week across the country. 

In addition, vaccinations have commenced this week at Intensive Care Units and on Covid wards in hospitals including UHG. 

The main challenge in rolling out the vaccines is supply given an understandably unprecedented demand from across the world to treat Covid-19 which was only discovered a year ago. Irish scientists and researchers are part of the international scientific community who have developed not one but several vaccines for this new virus in less than a year. 

The EU Member States, including Ireland, are working together on procuring vaccines with each country receiving allocations in proportion to its population and receiving the allocations simultaneously. 

Ireland has opted into five advance purchase agreements for vaccines giving us access to more than 14 million doses. Last week, the EU confirmed agreement to acquire another 100 million doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine which will increase our allocation from 1.11 million to 3.44 million. Initially, we are getting 40,000 doses per week but this will increase as Pfizer ramps up manufacturing.

The next vaccine to be introduced is likely to be the Moderna Vaccine which is being considered and reviewed for authorisation by the EMA this week. We have pre-ordered 875,000 doses of this vaccine. 

Another vaccine, the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine, which does not need to be deep-frozen when stored, is also being reviewed by the EMA with more data, including a large trial to test the safety and efficacy, on the way. 

Working as part of the EU has helped ensure access to vaccines while also boosting confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines through the work of the EMA. 

The Government, HSE and the Department of Health are focused on ensuring the vaccines are administered as soon as the deliveries are received and on ensuring that the schedule in the Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy and Implementation Plan, which prioritises people most at risk, is followed. 

Given the increase in case numbers and hospitalisations, it is vital that we adhere to the public health advice to reduce social contacts, practice good hygiene etiquette, work from home if we can and to only make essential journeys.