Housebound vaccination delays
Deputy Naughten raised delays for housebound older people waiting for COVID-19 vaccinations from the National Ambulance Service. The Tánaiste said around 1,000 were still waiting, explained the process, and acknowledged the frustration.
Some 66 days ago, the National Ambulance Service, NAS, started to vaccinate an estimated 2,700 housebound people over the age of 70. The plan was to have all of the first doses administered by last Sunday week, namely, 11 April 2021. I am being contacted by people in their 80s and 90s who are still waiting to receive their first appointment from the NAS.
To be quite honest, when trying to find information, the HSE locally and regionally does not know what is going on. It would be easier to find out the Third Secret of Fatima. I raised the issue a month ago with the Taoiseach in the House. He committed to getting the relevant information and furnishing me with it. He does not seem to have received information from the HSE either. When will those who are to be vaccinated at home receive their appointments?
Comment on this
This issue has come up a lot in the past week. Indeed, it was discussed at my party's parliamentary party meeting last night. The latest update I received is that approximately 1,000 housebound people are still waiting to receive their vaccine. Generally, older people will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine in most cases because it is the easiest one to transport. That work is being done by the NAS. It is taking a bit of time. I understand how frustrated people must be, not even knowing the date of their vaccination. They are worried that they will be forgotten entirely. However, they will not be forgotten and they will be vaccinated.
I have asked for this issue to be put on the agenda for the meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 next week. If it is the case that the NAS is being asked to do too much, and it is being asked to do a lot, whether it is running pop-up testing centres or administering vaccines in addition to its normal work as an ambulance service, perhaps we need to find an alternative. Could we, for example, ask local GPs to do it in the form of a house call, and remunerate them for doing so? Could we ask pharmacists to do it? Perhaps if the process is taking too long, we need to look at an alternative model to assist the NAS so that it is not asked to do it all on its own.