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Covid-19: Positive vaccine news brings hope of better days

Inside Politics: Distribution of a coronavirus vaccine in Ireland could start in the first weeks of new year

Vials of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine being tested. File photograph: EPA/Pfizer
Vials of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine being tested. File photograph: EPA/Pfizer
Jennifer Bray's picture
Jennifer Bray
Thu Dec 03 2020 - 07:32

Good morning.

One of the key demands the Government has made of the public throughout this pandemic has to been to ask people to #holdfirm.

The implication was that if we stuck to the myriad rules and regulations and held tight for brighter and better days, they would eventually come our way.

A flurry of encouraging updates on a potential Covid-19 vaccine gave everyone a reason to be cautiously optimistic, but yesterday’s news that the UK has approved the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine has well and truly set things in motion.

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The knowledge that people in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England could be vaccinated from next week onwards has understandably left people asking when it will be Ireland’s turn.

In an unusually blunt statement yesterday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) criticised the UK’s rapid approval of the vaccine and said its own longer approval procedure was more appropriate.

Could it be the hunt for an effective vaccine has become the modern-day space race?

Rivalries aside, there are questions around how prepared the Government is for that key moment when the EU gives the much-anticipated green light.

In our lead this morning, Pat Leahy says a planned Government memo will shed some light on the Coalition's plans.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly will bring a memo on the matter to Cabinet, but the first recipients are likely to include the elderly and high-risk groups, healthcare staff, nursing home residents and staff, other frontline workers and those working in meat plants.

Mr Donnelly also said distribution of a vaccine for Covid-19 could start in the first weeks of the new year as the EMA is due to complete a final review of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on December 29th at the latest.

The EMA may approve a second vaccine, from Moderna, at a further meeting on January 12th, after which distribution would also begin in Ireland.

The vaccines issue was also discussed at the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meetings last night.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told TDs and Senators that although vaccines are safe and effective, there were a number of “unknowns” in the process.

Sources at the meeting said Mr Varadkar pointed out the Government does not know how long immunity will last after vaccination and said it will not be possible to fully understand what rare “one-in-a-million” side-effects exist until a million or two million people have taken the vaccine, although he insisted the safety profile of the vaccines looks very good.

Mr Varadkar highlighted two other issues of interest: firstly, that one uniform IT system for vaccines will be needed nationally, and secondly that the Government must agree how it will provide people with proof they may want or need confirming they have been vaccinated.

During the Fianna Fáil meeting, Micheál Martin also made optimistic sounds about the vaccine, saying the roll-out would be free and sequenced. There is, the Taoiseach said, light at the end of the tunnel.

Brexit: Watch this space . . . again

It wasn’t just the coronavirus news that party leaders were optimistic about at their meetings last night. Both Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar had encouraging things to say about Brexit.

While Mr Martin said a deal could emerge this weekend, Mr Varadkar took solace in the fact there has not been too much briefing from the negotiations between the UK and EU. He said both sides genuinely are in a crucial period.

Only time will tell.

While we wait, here's an interesting piece from Finn McRedmond.

Best Reads

Read Miriam Lord if you want to understand why the Taoiseach is desperate for a pint early in the day, and what Greta Thunberg has to do with it.

If you didn't read this yesterday, here is another chance. A great piece by Kathy Sheridan asking: what was the purpose of Brian Stanley's tweet glorifying mass killings?

Some interesting news from my colleague Marie O'Halloran, who reports the Government will now work with Labour on a citizenship Bill for stateless children.

Naomi O'Leary on the gay orgy that exposes the hypocrisy of Hungary's illiberals.

Playbook

Dáil

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys will take questions at 9am followed by questions with Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman at 10.30am. Mr O’Gorman will likely be asked about his plans for publication of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission report. It was hoped the report would be published by the end of the year, but that is uncertain.

Leaders’ Questions kicks off at noon. Sinn Féin have a Private Members’ Bill up at 6.20pm that would ensure employers report any occurrences of Covid-19 to the Health and Safety Authority.

Read the full schedule here.

Seanad

The main piece of business in the Seanad today is a debate on the latest iteration of the Brexit omnibus Bill. There were late-night talks last night between the EU and UK, but as ever with Brexit, expect everything to go down to the wire.

Here is the Seanad schedule.

Committees

There are ten committees with business today, so TDs and senators will be kept busy. The Committee on Public Accounts will unveil a report on Nama’s 2019 financial statement, the Joint Committee on Education will look at the effects of Covid-19 on higher education institutions, and the Joint Committee on Disability Matters will hear from representatives of Special Olympics Ireland.

Here is the schedule for those interested.