Residents in nursing homes must get vaccine booster, regardless of age – Tóibín

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín TD has called on the government to offer a booster vaccine to everyone in nursing homes, not just those over 65 years of age.

Speaking today, Deputy Tóibín said: “As per Dr Tony Holohan’s letter to Minister Donnelly on Monday, there have been 26 new Covid outbreaks in nursing home settings between October 3 and October 16, and 123 confirmed linked Covid cases in nursing homes reported between October 3 and 9.

“We know that the government is currently working to offer a booster vaccine to all residents in nursing homes who are aged over 65 years – but Aontú is calling on the minister to ensure that all residents in nursing homes are offered the booster shot, regardless of age.

“If, for argument’s sake, you have a nursing home with 70 residents over 65-years and five residents under 65 years of age, it makes no sense for the vaccinators to pass by the five younger residents and return at a later date.

“We know that the vaccine, effective and all as it is, hasn’t prevented nursing home outbreaks. Hopefully the booster shot will improve immunity, but there is still a level of risk, and that level of risk will be greater if a cohort in each nursing home are deprived of the booster shot because of their age – the virus doesn’t know if you’re 64 or 66.”

Deputy Tóibín said government and HSE handling of the pandemic in nursing homes has left a lot to be desired, but they now have a chance to exercise common sense and learn from the fatal mistakes of the last two years.

He said: “Everyone of all ages in nursing homes, staff and residents, need to be prioritised for the booster shot. The Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme (TAPS) needs to be reinstated immediately to assist nursing homes in getting through the winter and staffing reserves and supports for nursing homes need to be set aside as an emergency measure.

"Too many people have died in our nursing homes over the last two years.”