The most vital tool for fighting the current pandemic, the Covid-19 vaccine, is not being rolled out as our current government had promised. The first two groups to supposedly be receiving the vaccine are
People aged 65+ living in long-term care facilities and
Frontline healthcare workers in contact with Covid patients (in order to facilitate their continued central work in fighting the outbreak).
There have been many reports of the vaccine being given to higher-up hospital management (many of whom are working from home) before being given to frontline healthcare workers who are in daily contact with, and operating on, Covid patients.
There have also been reports of the families of hospital staff being given the vaccine before frontline staff or patients. Many reports cite poor coordination, poor communication and lack of transparency as some of the causes of these issues which are also resulting in the discarding of unused vaccines.
In the wake of growing public anxiety and frustration People Before Profit ask that the current minister for health, Stephen Donnelly, publish an unambiguous mass vaccination plan for the next few months that includes a structure for accountability.
People Before Profit also supports the use of a system for placing calls out to GPs, local community health workers and members of at-risk-groups to receive leftover vaccines from Hospitals.