Online registration for Covid-19 vaccine from mid-April, says Martin

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said a website allowing people to register for a Covid-19 vaccine will available from the third week in April.

Mr Martin told the Dáil 70 per cent of the population should be fully inoculated against the virus by the end of July.

Mr Martin said the Government aimed to be at the “latter end of the vaccination programme” in July and August.

He defended the Government’s change in policy on vaccination prioritisation to now inoculate people solely on the basis of age rather than age and profession as he was warned about “putting all your eggs in the vaccine basket”.

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Mr Martin said the new priority list would ensure the most vulnerable were vaccinated first and the target is to give 80 per cent of people their first vaccine dose by the end of June.

Ireland is now going “into a different era”. He said that in the first three months of the year the Government knew the volume of vaccines received would be low.

“The data is much stronger for the second quarter for April, May and June, and the target is to have 80 per cent not just offered vaccination, but vaccinated by the end of June. That is the target.”

He said there will be “intense vaccination” during the summer months, with more companies coming on stream to supply jabs, such as Johnson & Johnson.

Mr Martin told Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon that the target is for 80 per cent of people to have had their first dose by end of June, and for 70 per cent to be fully vaccinated by the end of July.

He hoped that “in July and August we will be at the latter end of the vaccination programme”.

As it emerged that 800,000 people have so far received at least one vaccine, teachers, gardaí, special needs assistants (SNAs) and family carers have expressed outrage at the overnight change in policy which they said was announced without any consultation.

When it was raised in the Dáil Mr Martin said “the evidence that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee have put together, and Nphet are saying is that the biggest factor in mortality and severe illness arising from Covid is age.

“Many older teachers, many older key workers more generally will now be vaccinated much more quickly.”

‘Great news’

Labour leader Alan Kelly who highlighted the changes in vaccination prioritisation said "I hope and pray that you deliver because gardaí, SNA, teachers, carers, retail workers will feel very let down if you don't".

He said the Government is “putting all your eggs in the vaccine basket”. Mr Kelly said it was “great news” that by the end of June 80 per cent of those over 16 will be offered a vaccine, but how many of them will actually get it”?

The Tipperary TD also asked about the portal being offered to everyone in April to be able to apply for a vaccine.

The Taoiseach said “the taskforce envisages having the portal up and running in the middle of April – perhaps in the third week of April. On average, between April and May, we’re looking at [administering] two million vaccinations, with a higher amount in May over April. I think we’re looking at [vaccinating the] over-60s by the end of April.”

Vaccination is a key part in exiting the pandemic and measures the Government adopted “are essentially designed to continue to keep the pressure on the virus particularly over the next while”.

The Government does not want to “now take risks which have the consequence of increasing prevalence of the disease, putting more pressure on hospitals before the summer even starts and potentially leaving the rest of the summer to mop up if there was an escalation”.

Independent TD Michael McNamara said healthy young people, who had recovered from Covid-19 and who work in the health service, were among the first to be vaccinated but the evidence showed the virus was no threat to them and they did not need inoculation.

Mr Martin said the advice was to vaccinate all frontline workers as a cohort.